Dog-like robots train in Northwest caves to sniff out life on Mars

We’re long past the stage of imagining the inhabitants of Mars as little green men. But as we explore the red planet, what kind of life might we find there?

NASA scientists think life on Mars might be akin to Earth’s rock-eating microbes that live in deep, sub-surface caverns. To sniff out these mysterious life forms, the Biologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments team, also known as BRAILLE, headed to Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California to test autonomous robotic “dogs.”