Joan Oró

Joan Oró i Florensa (1923–2004) was a Catalan biochemist whose research has been of importance in understanding the origin of life.

Oró was born in Lleida, Spain, on October 26 1923. From the 1960s he worked with NASA on the Viking missions which explored the planet Mars. His work was essential in the analysis of samples of Martian soil, and sugested that there was in fact no life on Mars.

He died in Barcelona, Spain, on September 2 2004.