Is Mars Habitable? by Alfred Russel Wallace
Loyal Books
In 1907 Wallace wrote the short book Is Mars Habitable? to criticize the claims made by Percival Lowell that there were Martian canals built by intelligent beings. Wallace did months of research, consulted various experts, and produced his own scientific analysis of the Martian climate and atmospheric conditions. Among other things Wallace pointed out that spectroscopic analysis had shown no signs of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere, that Lowell’s analysis of Mars’ climate was seriously flawed and badly overestimated the surface temperature, and that low atmospheric pressure would make liquid water, let alone a planet girding irrigation system, impossible.
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Previous episodes
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9 - 0 – PrefaceFri, 02 Jan 2026 - 0h
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8 - 1 – Early Observers of MarsThu, 01 Jan 2026 - 0h
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7 - 2 – Mr. Lowell’s Discoveries and TheoriesWed, 31 Dec 2025 - 0h
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6 - 3 – Climate & PhysiographyTue, 30 Dec 2025 - 0h
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5 - 4 – Is Animal Life Possible on Mars?Mon, 29 Dec 2025 - 0h
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4 - 5 – Temperature on Mars – Mr. Lowell’s EstimateSun, 28 Dec 2025 - 0h
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3 - 6 – A New Estimate of the Temperature on MarsSat, 27 Dec 2025 - 0h
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2 - 7 – A Suggestion as to the Canals of MarsFri, 26 Dec 2025 - 0h
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1 - 8 – Summary and ConclusionThu, 25 Dec 2025 - 0h
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