A Canadian scientist joined the hunt for life on Mars. It beat watching life on Earth crumble

This is what we're left with now, after all this time, the questions: How did it end and where did it go? Once there was a world of vigour and plenty, alive with the things we count on to make life real. But then there was a rift and a breaking and in a moment, or a million years, all of it was gone. So we study what remains. We seek out shards. We solve what mysteries we can with imperfect clues. From parts, we recreate the shattered whole.