Local increase of methane concentrations detected by the robotic vehicle Curiosity, a discovery that may indicate the presence of living microorganisms in the area. The measurements originated from the Gale crater on the Red Planet, which the robot examined for two months. Thus, the resulting data show that the average methane levels exhibited a local increase of 1000%.
The discovery could prove historic, as methane production is considered one of the basic characteristics of biological activity, at least based on the forms of life that exist on Earth. Thus, it is likely to mean that in the past, or even today, the Red Planet «hosted» living beings.
On the other hand, at least for now, it cannot be ruled out that the emissions are due to a different cause, such as, for example, a geological phenomenon. «It is impossible to reach safe conclusions from a simple measurement»», said on the site Space.com Paul Mahaffey, one of the authors of the article describing the discovery and a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
«The only thing we can do right now is to assess the various possible scenarios. Even if there really are microbes on Mars that produce methane, at this moment it is just a speculation», he added.
The hole that Curiosity drilled into a rock on Mars to collect a sample.
The study was published online yesterday on the site of the journal Science. Apart from the above finding, in this one the scientists reveal that the atmospheric levels of methane on the Red planet are about 0.7 parts per billion (ppb). This number is smaller than previous estimates and calculations, but considerably larger than earlier comparable measurements by Curiosity.
These measurements were published last year, indicating that there is no trace of methane in the Arienian atmosphere. This time, however, scientists have found a way to collect larger air samples, so that the new data are more reliable.
Last year, the news that there is no methane on Mars disappointed many researchers, as it seemed to mean that there is no biological activity of any kind on the planet. The new research, however, rekindles hopes, as it may indicate that conditions on Mars were not ultimately so «unfriendly» for any form of life.
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Technology-Science | naftemporiki.gr
