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NASA scientists are expected to announce they may have proof there is life on Mars.
The scientists suspect alien microbes are alive and kicking just below the soil of the big planet, after large quantities of what is believed to be the organisms’ waste products were detected.
The organisms – called methanogens – are suspected to have been living in water beneath underground ice, where they are disgorging tonnes and tonnes of methane.
On Earth, methane is produced in massive quantities by animals such as cows, sheep and goats.
Giant telescopes from Earth and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted a haze of the gas surrounding Mars, and according to some scientists this can only point to the presence of life on Mars.
“Methane is a product of biology,” UK Mars expert Professor Colin Pillinger told UK tabloid The Sun last night.
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“For methane to be in Mars’ atmosphere, there has to be a replenishable source.
“The most obvious source of methane is organisms, so if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life.
“It’s not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look.”
“What could be more profound than to know it’s not just us out there?
"We’ve really only scratched the surface — it’s an absolute certainty that there is life out there and we are not alone.
“If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must be life elsewhere too."
Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars rules this possibility out.
Methane plumes are very short-lived, it is chemically broken down by sunlight within a year. Something is replacing the methane, and quickly.
The scientists suspect alien microbes are alive and kicking just below the soil of the big planet, after large quantities of what is believed to be the organisms’ waste products were detected.
The organisms – called methanogens – are suspected to have been living in water beneath underground ice, where they are disgorging tonnes and tonnes of methane.
On Earth, methane is produced in massive quantities by animals such as cows, sheep and goats.
Giant telescopes from Earth and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted a haze of the gas surrounding Mars, and according to some scientists this can only point to the presence of life on Mars.
“Methane is a product of biology,” UK Mars expert Professor Colin Pillinger told UK tabloid The Sun last night.
Related Coverage
“For methane to be in Mars’ atmosphere, there has to be a replenishable source.
“The most obvious source of methane is organisms, so if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life.
“It’s not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look.”
“What could be more profound than to know it’s not just us out there?
"We’ve really only scratched the surface — it’s an absolute certainty that there is life out there and we are not alone.
“If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must be life elsewhere too."
Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars rules this possibility out.
Methane plumes are very short-lived, it is chemically broken down by sunlight within a year. Something is replacing the methane, and quickly.
First pics...
