Science · Engineering & invention
Gilbert Levin
Viking Labeled Release principal investigator
Also known as Gilbert V. Levin
Who they are
Gilbert Levin led Viking’s Labeled Release experiment, designed to investigate possible biological activity in Martian soil. With Patricia Straat, he published interim results comparing test and heated control samples and considering nonbiological explanations. Their 1976 abstract stated that the available findings did not yet permit a conclusion about life on Mars.
He represents direct experimental attempts to detect extraterrestrial life and the interpretation of ambiguous results.
Selected contributions
Selected works
Academic paper · 1976 · Journal article; abstract inspected
Viking labeled release biology experiment - Interim results
Levin and Patricia Straat summarize the labeled-release results and compare biological and nonbiological explanations. The accessible abstract explicitly says the available results did not permit a conclusion about life on Mars.
Reading scope & citation
Fresh inspection: Complete NTRS catalogue record and abstract read; Levin/Straat authorship, 1976 date and stated inability to conclude whether life existed. No downloadable full text at this record.
In the timeline
- Jul 20, 1976Viking lands laboratories to test Martian soil
Biography sources
- Viking Project and Astrobiology ↗NASA Science
- Viking labeled release biology experiment - Interim results ↗NASA Technical Reports Server; Science