Bioinspired Skin | Understanding Water on Mars

Join astrophysicists Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.

Human skin contains several amazing features that explain our long lifespans and ability for rapid global technological advance: high resilience, high toughness, self-adhesion, self-healing, high ionic conductivity, dynamic functionality, mechanical robustness, and stability. Scientists have designed and manufactured a water/glycerol binary solvent containing bismuth ions that yields an artificial skin that comes close to matching several of the functions and capabilities of human skin. This close match shows how well-designed the “real thing” is.

A growing body of evidence indicates that Mars had water on its surface nearly 4 billion years ago, which raises the obvious question of whether this Martian water ever hosted life. A recent study of the Martian water cycle—specifically how it differs from Earth’s—reveals that surface water on the red planet was likely even more transient than originally thought. Studies like these also reveal how remarkably designed Earth is, as it hosts an abundant array of life today.

LINKS AND RESOURCES: 

• A Skin-Mimicking Multifunctional Hydrogel Via Hierarchical, Reversible Noncovalent Interactions
• Thinking About Evolution
• Missing Link in Early Martian Water Cycle Discovered
• Infiltration Dynamics on Early Mars: Geomorphic, Climatic, and Water Storage Implication