Why Weren't There Life Experiments Aboard Phoenix?

Apparently there aren't any on the latest Mars lander, just a water detection lab and chemical tests.
Seems funny that thirty years ago NASA was able to send equipment to the planet in a search for life, but with much more advanced technology now it wasn't considered, with scientists preferring to do chemical instead of biological experiments. The Viking probes returned results that seemed to indicate life but it's still a controversy, or maybe not.

But Tom Van Flandern on Coast to Coast tonight gave as good an explanation as any as to why the scientists didn't send state of the art life detection labs.
They didn't want to tell us they found life on Mars. It would have jeopordized a half dozen planned and funded future missions.
It's all about their job security, not science, and keeping us in the dark about mysteries they've found.

My personal view is that the planet is teeming with life and relics of ancient civilizations, and may have activity , a lot of it, below the surface. Actually there's plenty of evidence that the entire solar system is filled with wonder, and NASA's job is to keep it hidden from us.


ruins of a rectangular structure


1 1/2 mile tall tower on the moon