re: #3 Ian G.

Speaking of NASA, I’m really interested in what the big news about what the Mars Curiosity rover has apparently found:
npr.org
They’re still verifying, but a quote from the principal investigator is that if true, it is “one for the history books”.
The preliminary readings are from Curiosity’s SAM instrument suite.

Personally, I’m hoping that it detected either an amino acid chain, or a Alkane-family hydrocarbon - either of which would completely change the game in relation to discussion of possible extra-planetary life.