Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Mars rover finds methane spike on Mars, but no smoking gun for life


Methane, a chemical that results from the decay of organic matter, briefly shot up in abundance on Mars, according to readings from the Curiosity rover published in the journal Science . The tenfold spike measured in the atmosphere around the lander, along with organic molecules in a rock-powder sample the robot's drill collected, provide the strongest evidence yet for life on Mars.


the finding is in contrast to data from 2013The finding is in sharp contrast to a 2013 read-out that suggested there wasn't enough methane on Mars to support living microbes — only 1.3 parts per billion. Using Curiosity's onboard sample analysis a dozen times over 20 months showed spikes in late 2013 and early 2014, with measurements finding an average of 7...


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