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Old 24-06-2019, 11:34 PM
gary
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Curiosity Rover finds high levels of methane on Mars

In a story today by Bob Yirka at Phys.org, it has been reported that the
Curiosity Rover has found high levels (21 parts per billion) of methane at a site on Mars.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Yirka at Phys.org
The existence of methane is, of course, a possible sign of life, since it is produced in abundance by microorganisms here on Earth.

The methane readings were reportedly three times as high as the previous record on Mars—enough for officials at NASA to change the schedule for the rover over the weekend. They had the rolling probe take more readings at the same site, which, the JPL reports, should be ready for release as early as today. If the readings are due to some form of life, NASA scientists expect it would be in the form of microbes living just under the surface.
However, as has been noted :-

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Yirka at Phys.org
it is possible that a geological process long ago could have generated some amount of methane, and it became trapped beneath the surface—its presence on the surface now would be the result of a slow leak.
Story here :-
https://phys.org/news/2019-06-curios...hane-mars.html

BBC report :-
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48743551

NASA Press Release :-
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/cur...ethane-levels/
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Old 25-06-2019, 05:11 AM
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They are closing in on the sewer vent from the underground civilization driven to go beneath the surface when the surface became uninhabitable.
Thanks for posting that Gary and all the neat things you post in fact.
Alex
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Old 27-06-2019, 11:26 AM
gary
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Follow-up experiment - methane returns to background levels

In a June 26th 2019 follow-up story appearing on AFP, it is reported that :-

Quote:
Originally Posted by AFP
But a follow-up experiment this weekend found the methane had returned to background levels, NASA said Tuesday, suggesting the temporary spike was caused by one of a number of transient plumes observed by Curiosity in the past.

Scientists have tracked a seasonal rise and fall in background methane levels but haven't been able to establish a pattern for the transient plumes.

"We're more motivated than ever to keep measuring and put our brains together to figure out how methane behaves in the Martian atmosphere," said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity's project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA added that Curiosity doesn't have instruments that can definitively say whether the source of the methane is a byproduct of living organisms or a result of geological phenomena.

One leading theory is that the methane is being released from underground reservoirs created by long extinct life forms.

Though Mars has no active volcanoes like on Earth, it is also possible that methane is being produced by reactions of carbon from carbonate rocks or carbon dioxide, with hydrogen from liquid water.
Story here :-
https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/mart...ay-doc-1hu5xs1
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Old 27-06-2019, 03:54 PM
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multiweb (Marc)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gary View Post
One leading theory is that the methane is being released from underground reservoirs created by long extinct life forms.
Imagine finding fossilised remains on Mars. Now that would be something. What would it look like. Maybe similar as the ones we have here.
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Old 13-07-2019, 11:44 AM
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Another article about this: https://www.sciencealert.com/scienti...tions-for-life
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