"2026: Something is growing in the Pacific Ocean, a strange fungus-like organism that may ultimately threaten Earth's entire food chain. Christened "the slick," the bizarre phenomenon is soon the subject of intense, top secret scientific analysis, which rapidly discovers that the slick contains unique DNA unlike any other lifeform on the planet." "Where has the slick come from? A Chinese-manned mission to Mars is rumored to have discovered life deep beneath the Martian icecap, but the Chinese aren't talking. Could this mysterious discovery have something to do with the possibly extraterrestrial organism spreading throughout the Pacific? Dr. Mariella Anders is recruited by NASA to join an urgent mission to the Red Planet to find out just what the Chinese might be hiding. A brilliant and committed scientist, Mariella only wants to uncover the truth, but others have less noble motives. Corporate powers want to monopolize the genetic secrets of the slick. Radical eco terrorists strike out at those they blame for rampant genetic engineering. And a second Chinese Mars mission has its own unguessable agenda." "The secret of life on Earth may wait beneath the Mars' frozen crust, but is there anyone Mariella can trust to safeguard one of the greatest scientific discoveries in human history? The Secret of Life is a powerful novel about the perilous quest for knowledge - and the high price of the truth."--BOOK JACKET.