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Got Gas?
01/19/09 11:37 AM
Increasingly, evidence suggests there may be life on Mars
Scientists at NASA report detecting several large plumes of methane escaping from planet Mars. This gas, which is plentiful on Earth, can be a byproduct of bacterial processes, as well as purely chemical interactions. So? So these methane plumes might be a tangible sign of at least microbial life below the surface of the Red Planet.
Methane, of course, is belched from many sources, including we humans (think flatulence). It is also a powerful greenhouse gas, one that eclipses carbon dioxide in its ability to warm our climate.
The NASA scientists acknowledge that this methane could be produced from non-living sources, including chemical and thermodynamic processes deep beneath the surface of Mars. However, they do not believe it was "imported" from comets, asteroids or other cosmic wayfarers striking Mars in the past.
We know that water exists on the Red Planet, primarily in the form of ice. This, combined with increasing evidence of other "life markers" such as methane, suggests that Mars may be another island of animate life in our solar system.
Stay tuned.
Methane, of course, is belched from many sources, including we humans (think flatulence). It is also a powerful greenhouse gas, one that eclipses carbon dioxide in its ability to warm our climate.
The NASA scientists acknowledge that this methane could be produced from non-living sources, including chemical and thermodynamic processes deep beneath the surface of Mars. However, they do not believe it was "imported" from comets, asteroids or other cosmic wayfarers striking Mars in the past.
We know that water exists on the Red Planet, primarily in the form of ice. This, combined with increasing evidence of other "life markers" such as methane, suggests that Mars may be another island of animate life in our solar system.
Stay tuned.