Can humans survive travel to Mars, and is there life hidden beneath the Martian surface?

Join Jeroen Schreel and Alyssa Carson, a PhD candidate at the University of Arkansas, as they explore the world of astrobiology and the future of human space exploration. Together they discuss how methanogens might survive in harsh Martian conditions, what the main constraints are for travel to Mars, and what the most likely locations are for us to find extraterrestrial life.

(00:00) Intro

(00:28) Meet Alyssa Carson

(01:07) The Biggest Problem for Life on Mars: Lack of Liquid Water

(02:21) Methane Detection in Gale Crater and Potential Biotic Sources

(05:12) The Difficulty of Distinguishing Biological vs. Abiotic Biomarkers

(08:00) Mineral Interactions and Simulating Past Martian Conditions

(12:38) Resilient Microorganisms and Promising Methanogen Strains

(14:24) The Complex Experimental Setup of Martian Simulation Chambers

(21:05) Could Methanogens Have Warmed Early Mars?

(22:28) Panspermia and the Origins of Life in Our Solar System

(25:15) Human Travel to Mars, Mission Timelines, and Radiation

(27:28) Why the Artemis Program and Returning to the Moon is Challenging

(34:21) Reducing Travel Time with Nuclear Propulsion

(41:22) Alyssa’s Aspirations, Astronaut Selection, and Long-Term Goals

(46:11) One-Way Missions vs. Returning Pure Martian Samples to Earth

(50:26) Exploring Icy Moons: Europa, Titan, and Dragonfly Missions

(52:46) The Likelihood of Microbial vs. Intelligent Life in the Universe

(57:39) Final Takeaways and Closing Message

Relevant papers:

- Mickol and Kral, 2016. Low Pressure Tolerance by Methanogens in an Aqueous Environment: Implications for Subsurface Life on Mars. Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, 47: pp. 511-532; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11084-016-9519-9

- Webster et al., 2014. Mars methane detection and variability at Gale crater. Science, 347: pp. 415-417; https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1261713

- Sauterey et al., 2022. Early Mars habitability and global cooling by H2-based methanogens. Nature Astronomy, 6: pp. 1263–1271; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01786-w

- Kendrick and Kral, 2006. Survival of Methanogens During Desiccation: Implications for Life on Mars. Astrobiology, 6: pp. 546-551; https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2006.6.546

- Butturini et al., 2025. Potential Habitability of Present-Day Martian Subsurface for Earth-Like Methanogens. Astrobiology, 25: pp. 253–268; https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2024.0100

- Hou et al., 2025. In search of signs of life on Mars with China’s sample return mission Tianwen-3. Nature Astronomy, 9: pp. 783-792; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02572-0

- Coleine et al., 2025. The role of extremophile microbiomes in terraforming Mars. Communication Biology, 8: Article 1588; https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08973-1

- McSween et al., 2025. Perspectives on Mars Sample Return: A critical resource for planetary science and exploration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122: Article e2404248121; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2404248121

- Paulchamy et al., 2024. Methanogens and what they tell us about how life might survive on Mars. Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 59: pp. 337-362; https://doi.org/10.1080/10409238.2024.2418639

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How often should you test your blood, and which biomarkers actually predict your healthspan? Join Jeroen Schreel and Michael Lustgarten, a former assistant professor turned longevity consultant, as Michael reveals the exact biomarkers he tracks to optimize biological age, healthspan, and human performance. Learn the science behind tracking heart rate variability (HRV), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), postprandial glucose, and organ-specific biological aging clocks. Discover why standard annual blood panels aren't enough, how to optimize lifestyle habits based on real data, and the truth about ultra-processed foods, calorie restriction, and overtraining.(00:00) Intro(00:40) Meet Dr. Michael Lustgarten(01:05) The Biggest Lie & Hype in Longevity Research(02:20) Why You Need to Track Biomarkers More Than Once a Year(03:38) Reversing Age-Related Trends: HRV and Resting Heart Rate Data(04:56) The Problem with Personal Fitness Trackers & Recommendations(05:23) Linear vs. Nonlinear Aging: Disagreeing with Age Peaks(06:25) Why Albumin and LDL Don't Decline Linearly(08:19) Calorie-Restricted Mice and Body Weight Fluctuations(10:12) What Biomarkers Should You Track First?(11:53) Organ-Specific Proteomic Clocks: Brain & Immune System(12:46) Tracking White Blood Cell Differentials (Neutrophils vs. Lymphocytes)(13:37) The Forgotten Cell: Red Blood Cell Volume & RDW(15:17) HRV & Resting Heart Rate: Balancing the Nervous System(16:37) Can Overtraining Shorten Maximum Lifespan?(17:58) Sunlight, Mitochondria, and Calorie Restriction Effects(19:22) How to Optimize VO2 Max Without Overtraining(20:15) Using HRV & RHR Data to Determine Optimal Exercise Dosage(22:19) Nighttime Respiratory Rate: An Early Marker of Immune System Activation(23:41) Postprandial Glucose Management: Post-Meal Jumping vs. Walking(26:33) Workout Cycles, Recovery Days, and Exercise Intensity Balance(28:24) Calorie Intake & Body Composition: Finding the Weight Sweet Spot(31:41) Is Having a Six-Pack Actually Good for Longevity?(32:45) Ultra-Processed Foods vs. Whole Foods: Managing Junk Food Binges(36:00) Cheat Days & UPFs: Impact on Biomarkers & Neurodegeneration Markers(38:34) Homemade Pizza, Raw vs. Roasted Nuts, and AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products)(46:28) Seed Oils vs. Whole Foods: Olive Oil vs. Whole Olives(49:04) Finger-Prick Glucose Tracking & Lowering HbA1c(52:00) Balancing Net Carbs, Fats, and Postprandial Glucose Spikes(55:30) High-Carb Meals vs. Glucose Response: Lessons from DataRelevant papers:- Levine et al., 2018. An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan. Aging, 20: pp. 573-591; https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101414- Lu et al., 2019. DNA methylation GrimAge strongly predicts lifespan and healthspan. Aging, 11: pp. 303-327; https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101684- Murata et al., 2023. Blood biomarker profiles and exceptional longevity: comparison of centenarians and non-centenarians in a 35-year follow-up of the Swedish AMORIS cohort. GeroScience, 46: pp. 1693-1702; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-023-00936-w- Zulfiqar et al., 2010. Relation of High Heart Rate Variability to Healthy Longevity. The American Journal of Cardiology, 105: pp. 1181-1185; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2009.12.022- Moqri et al., 2023. Biomarkers of aging for the identification and evaluation of longevity interventions. Cell, 186: pp. 3758-3775; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.003- Sehgal et al., 2026. Responsiveness of epigenetic aging biomarkers to longevity interventions in humans. Nature Medicine, 32: pp. 3477-3490; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04562-9Don't forget to join our monthly AFP newsletter: https://applefinchpudding.com/newsletter#LongevityResearch #Biomarkers #Healthspan #HeartRateVariability #GlucoseControl #BiologicalAge #SciencePodcast #AppleFinchPudding

What are the biggest myths in quantum computing? Will quantum computing break modern internet security or quietly revolutionize AI?Discover the true possibilities and limits of quantum computers by joining Jeroen Schreel and Scott Aaronson, a professor in computer sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, as they delve into the world of quantum computers. Together they discuss what quantum computers really can do, why they won't speed up every AI task, the P vs NP problem, Shor’s algorithm, and when fault-tolerant quantum hardware will actually arrive.(00:00) Intro(00:22) Meet Prof. Scott Aaronson(00:39) The Biggest Marketing Hype & Lies in Quantum Computing(02:48) What Quantum Computers Are Actually Good For(03:24) Simulating Quantum Physics, Chemistry & Materials(04:23) Breaking Encryption: Shor's Algorithm & Post-Quantum Encryption(06:38) The Quantum AI & Machine Learning Narrative(09:43) Classical Computing Progress vs. Quantum Speedups ("Dequantization")(13:14) Programmable Quantum Simulations Explained(16:25) Quantum vs Classical: The Space Shuttle Analogy(18:59) Explaining the P vs NP Problem(22:21) NP-Complete Problems, Factoring & The BQP Complexity Class(30:41) Why Do We Actually Need Quantum Computers?(31:42) Amplitudes, Interference & The Born Rule Explained(37:11) The Ultimate Test of Quantum Mechanics & Many-Worlds Interpretation(46:23) What Happens When We Run AI on Quantum Computers?(53:22) Grover's Algorithm & Quadratic Speedups for Search & AI(58:42) How Far Are We From a Functional, Scalable Quantum Computer?Relevant papers:- Aaronson et al., 2026. Future of quantum computing. Quantum Machine Intelligence, 8: Article 3; https://doi.org/10.1007/s42484-026-00351-2- Aaronson, 2005. Quantum Computing, Postselection, and Probabilistic Polynomial-Time. Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 461: pp. 3473-3482; https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2005.1546- Ladd et al., 2010. Quantum computers. Nature, 464: pp. 45-53; https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08812- Cao et al., 2019. Quantum Chemistry in the Age of Quantum Computing. Chemical Reviews, 119: pp. 10856-10915; https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00803- Baiardi et al., 2023. Quantum Computing for Molecular Biology. ChemBioChem, 24: Article e202300120; https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202300120- Boghosian and Taylor IV, 1998. Simulating quantum mechanics on a quantum computer. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 120: pp. 30-42; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-2789(98)00042-6- Jones et al., 1998. Implementation of a quantum search algorithm on a quantum computer. Nature, 393: pp. 344-346; https://doi.org/10.1038/30687- Cheng et al., 2021. A Survey of Encryption Standard and Potential Impact Due to Quantum Computing. IEEE Aerospace Conference; https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438392- Aumasson, 2017. The impact of quantum computing on cryptography. Computer Fraud & Security, 2017: pp. 8-11; https://doi.org/10.1016/S1361-3723(17)30051-9- Devadas and Sowmya, 2025. Quantum machine learning: A comprehensive review of integrating AI with quantum computing for computational advancements. MethodsX, 14: Article 103318; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2025.103318- Abdelgaber and Nikolopoulos, 2020. Overview on Quantum Computing and its Applications in Artificial Intelligence. IEEE Third International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Engineering (AIKE): pp. 198-199; https://doi.org/10.1109/AIKE48582.2020.00038Don't forget to join our monthly AFP newsletter: https://applefinchpudding.ck.page#QuantumComputing #QuantumPhysics #ComputerScience #QuantumAI #SciencePodcast #AppleFinchPudding