This summer, scientists on Devon Island in the Arctic will test out a new robot designed with the ultimate goal of operating in the harsh Martian environment. The robot is just one of the many projects planned for the summer season at the Haughton Mars Research Station, a NASA-operated program that hopes to shed light on the geology and biology of Mars.

The researchers and a crew of volunteers will conduct a several-month-long simulation of a Mars mission. In addition, the researchers will study the effects of meteorite impacts on Earth, and the possibilities of life in extreme environments. This hour, we'll talk with two of the project's scientists about their summer plans.

Plus, we'll talk about a new feathered fossil unveiled this week at the American Museum of Natural History. The fossil, which shows an incredibly complete skeletal animal spread-eagled on a rock slab, may be a key piece of evidence in the "are birds descended from dinosaurs" debate. Along the edges of the specimen are thin fillament structures that look a good deal like feathers.

The fossil was found in theYixian Formation in Liaoning Province, China. A paper discussing the find is in this week's issue of the journal Nature. Scientists who found the specimen say that the find may mean that feathers developed independently of flight -- and gives stronger weight to the idea that birds evolved from dinosaurs.

We'll talk with Mark Norell of the American Museum of Natural History to find out more.

Listen to this program in RealAudio!