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Ancient Culture and Space Exploration Collide in "Mayan Mars"

Mel Gibson's movie "Apocalypto" is bringing attention to Mayan culture and history. A new science fiction novel "Mayan Mars" combines Mayan history, the end of the world and travel to Mars. We speak w

Ancient Culture and Space Exploration Collide in "Mayan Mars"

Tom Fudge: The year 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar. Some believe that’s the year when the world will end. And the apocalypse is the theme of a new movie by Mel Gibson called Apocolypto , whose setting is the height of the Mayan empire.

Mayan culture, the end of the world, and travel to Mars all play a role in a novel written by San Diegan Marc Andre Meyers. Marc is a materials science professor at UCSD. He’s also the author of a science fiction novel called Mayan Mars . It tells the story of a space mission to Mars that threatens to wipe out the earth’s population by transporting deadly bacteria found on the red planet.

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Guest

Marc Andre Meyers, author of Mayan Mars and professor of materials science in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCSD.