US scientist Craig Venter aims to make living copies of Martian life
Scientist Craig Venter field-tests his pioneering DNA-decoding technology, which he says could revolutionise the search for extraterrestrial life
The sun is fading, the temperature is dropping and the desert party is just getting started.
Motorcycles rest on kickstands beside an ancient lava flow while revellers talk excitedly about alien worlds, teleportation and the creation of life.
On a sun-blasted tract of sand 22 kilometres south of Baker, California, molecular biologist and entrepreneur Craig Venter is field-testing a technology he says will revolutionise the search for extraterrestrial life.
Not only does Venter say his invention will detect and decode DNA hiding in otherworldly soil or water samples - proving once and for all that we are not alone in the universe - it will also beam the information back to earth and allow scientists to reconstruct living copies in a biosafety facility.
"We can recreate the Martians in a P-4 spacesuit lab, if necessary," the 67-year-old says matter-of-factly as he relaxes with his poodle, Darwin, in a luxury camper.