FROM THE EDITOR AND LEAD SCIENTIST

WHAT IS REAL? It is the fundamental question that drives many in philosophy, science and religion.

In this issue of Cosmos, however, it drives two very different stories – and requires two very different approaches.

In our cover story, Life on Mars – the evidence assessed, Richard A Lovett looks at the findings that have been offered – as early as 1877 in some cases – to support the contention that life does, or did, exist on the Red Planet. Extensive and detailed, the result serves to remind us that however possible, or probable, the prospect of Martian biology might be – and however much we might want it to be real – there is as yet no evidence of it.

In the second story, Science in the world of fake news, Stephen Fleischfresser examines the fate of science news in a modern media landscape where Trumpian “alternative facts” and conspiracy theories flourish inside the unmediated world of social media. At a time where peer-reviewed evidence carries the same communicative influence as whole-cloth invention, how can the public distinguish the real from the rest?

These and our other stories, we hope, will serve to keep you fascinated and informed, as our talented contributors offer up articles on a wide range of science topics, from batteries to electric cars and from native bees to why viruses have bellybuttons.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Cosmos, courtesy of The Royal Institution of Australia, where our mission is, as always, keeping things real.