Post by Hussar on Mar 29, 2004 21:08:05 GMT -5
From the Telegraph:
Methane find gives new clue to life on Mars
By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 30/03/2004)
The most compelling evidence yet that alien life once lived on Mars - and might still be thriving deep below the surface - has been unearthed by Nasa and European space scientists
Two studies have confirmed the presence of methane on the red planet. On Earth, the gas is almost always produced by microbes.
The discovery comes weeks after Nasa and the European Space Agency confirmed the presence of large amounts of water on Mars. Because methane is fragile and lasts for a few hundred years before it is broken down, scientists say there are two plausible explanations for its presence.
Either it was released during volcanic or geological activity, or was created recently by living microbes.
A third option - that it was produced by some unknown chemical reaction - is possible, but unlikely, they say.
Prof Colin Pillinger, the Open University space scientist behind the Beagle 2 lander, said: "This may not say that there's life on Mars, but it doesn't half get close. Whether it is produced by organisms now or from volcanic activity, the primary source of methane is microbes.
"Most of the natural methane gas released during geological activity on the Earth originally comes from the decomposition of organic matter.
"On a planet like Mars, methane doesn't hang around so you have to find a way of constantly replenishing it. It is very difficult to produce except from a biological source."
Beagle 2 was designed to sniff out traces of methane on the surface, and look for other evidence of life. The gas was detected by Beagle 2's mothership, Europe's Mars Express spacecraft and by telescopes on Earth at concentrations of around 10 or 11 parts per billion. On Earth, methane released by bacteria in the ground or in animals is found in the atmosphere at concentrations of 1.7 parts per million.
Until recently, hopes for life on Mars were slim. The Viking landers of the mid-Seventies appeared to show that the planet was barren. But the discovery of peculiar microscopic fossils inside meteorites originating from Mars in the late Eighties and early Nineties once again raised the prospect of alien life.
The signature of the gas was detected by the Mars Express Planetary Fourier Spectrometer and the infrared telescope on Hawaii and the Gemini South Observatory in Chile.
Vittorio Formisano, the principal investigator of the Mars Express instrument, stressed that many more observations were needed to identify the source. "Eventually we shall perhaps be able to identify the source of methane," he said. "The source is going to be a rather big issue. The source could be either simply volcanic activity, or life of biological origin.
"I am not stating that there is life now. There is no conclusion yet."
He added: "In my opinion it is most likely of volcanic origin, but I need many more observations."
The American research, led by Michael Mumma of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre, used powerful spectroscopic telescopes.
They found variations in the concentrations, which peak around the dried out sea bed of Meridiani Planum, the region being explored by the Nasa rover Opportunity. Both teams are double checking the findings before going public.
The Mars Society, which campaigns for manned missions to the red planet, described the findings as a "stunning turning of events".
Bo Maxwell, the society's president, stressed that the results were still preliminary.
But even if the source was volcanic, the implications were tremendous - and would show that the planet was more active than previously thought. "Either way you look at it, this is a very exciting announcement," he said.
Hmm, this should be interesting. All sorts of implications.
Methane find gives new clue to life on Mars
By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 30/03/2004)
The most compelling evidence yet that alien life once lived on Mars - and might still be thriving deep below the surface - has been unearthed by Nasa and European space scientists
Two studies have confirmed the presence of methane on the red planet. On Earth, the gas is almost always produced by microbes.
The discovery comes weeks after Nasa and the European Space Agency confirmed the presence of large amounts of water on Mars. Because methane is fragile and lasts for a few hundred years before it is broken down, scientists say there are two plausible explanations for its presence.
Either it was released during volcanic or geological activity, or was created recently by living microbes.
A third option - that it was produced by some unknown chemical reaction - is possible, but unlikely, they say.
Prof Colin Pillinger, the Open University space scientist behind the Beagle 2 lander, said: "This may not say that there's life on Mars, but it doesn't half get close. Whether it is produced by organisms now or from volcanic activity, the primary source of methane is microbes.
"Most of the natural methane gas released during geological activity on the Earth originally comes from the decomposition of organic matter.
"On a planet like Mars, methane doesn't hang around so you have to find a way of constantly replenishing it. It is very difficult to produce except from a biological source."
Beagle 2 was designed to sniff out traces of methane on the surface, and look for other evidence of life. The gas was detected by Beagle 2's mothership, Europe's Mars Express spacecraft and by telescopes on Earth at concentrations of around 10 or 11 parts per billion. On Earth, methane released by bacteria in the ground or in animals is found in the atmosphere at concentrations of 1.7 parts per million.
Until recently, hopes for life on Mars were slim. The Viking landers of the mid-Seventies appeared to show that the planet was barren. But the discovery of peculiar microscopic fossils inside meteorites originating from Mars in the late Eighties and early Nineties once again raised the prospect of alien life.
The signature of the gas was detected by the Mars Express Planetary Fourier Spectrometer and the infrared telescope on Hawaii and the Gemini South Observatory in Chile.
Vittorio Formisano, the principal investigator of the Mars Express instrument, stressed that many more observations were needed to identify the source. "Eventually we shall perhaps be able to identify the source of methane," he said. "The source is going to be a rather big issue. The source could be either simply volcanic activity, or life of biological origin.
"I am not stating that there is life now. There is no conclusion yet."
He added: "In my opinion it is most likely of volcanic origin, but I need many more observations."
The American research, led by Michael Mumma of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre, used powerful spectroscopic telescopes.
They found variations in the concentrations, which peak around the dried out sea bed of Meridiani Planum, the region being explored by the Nasa rover Opportunity. Both teams are double checking the findings before going public.
The Mars Society, which campaigns for manned missions to the red planet, described the findings as a "stunning turning of events".
Bo Maxwell, the society's president, stressed that the results were still preliminary.
But even if the source was volcanic, the implications were tremendous - and would show that the planet was more active than previously thought. "Either way you look at it, this is a very exciting announcement," he said.
Hmm, this should be interesting. All sorts of implications.
