Life on Mars SHOCK: Extraterrestrial microbes can explain the mystery of Mars' methane | Science | New

Life on Mars has developed billions of years ago while the planet was still hot and humid and sheltered vast seas and oceans. Today, the red planet is a sterile and desolate landscape, devoid of any immediate evidence that it could still harbor extraterrestrial organisms. There are however scientists who have dedicated their lives to answering the ultimate question of whether we are the only ones in the universe. The irregular appearance of methane in the planet's heavy carbon dioxide atmosphere is a key clue to whether Mars could hide a foreign life under our noses.

Since 2004, various space probes sent on the red planet detect traces of methane on Mars.

The initial discovery was exciting because here on Earth, different types of microbes living at the bottom of the surface produce methane.

Professor Penny King of the Australian National University said, "Some microbes on Earth can survive without oxygen, deep in the subsoil, and release methane into their waste.

Even larger organisms like cows are another major contributor to the atmospheric levels of methane on Earth.

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On Mars, however, there is no sign of obvious life that could produce these methane spikes.

Another problem encountered by scientists is that atmospheric methane levels detected on Mars have never been as good as the various recordings collected by missions such as ExoMars or NASA's Curiosity robot mission.

Scientists at the Australian National University have addressed this issue in a new study published Aug. 20 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The study claims to have understood why data on methane concentrations did not agree between missions.

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The study should help scientists locate the origin of the gas, whether biological or geological.

Dr. John Moores, who led the study, from York University in Canada, said, "This new study redefines our understanding of how methane concentration in the atmosphere of Mars evolves over time, which helps us to solve the biggest mystery of source could be. "

Last year, scientists discovered that methane levels on Mars are seasonal and differ from one period to the next year.

Now, researchers have discovered that methane levels can vary tremendously from day to day.

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Dr. Moores said, "This latest work suggests that methane concentration changes daily.

"We were able – for the first time – to calculate a single rate of treatment of methane wastewater at the March crater on Mars equivalent to an average of 2.8 kg per Martian day."

The discovery may explain why the Orbiter ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and the Curiosity mobile have detected different concentrations of methane.

Dr. Moores said: "We were able to resolve these differences by showing that methane concentrations were much lower in the atmosphere during the day and much higher near the surface of the planet at night, while the heat transfer was decreasing. "

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But what does it mean for the possibility of a life on Mars?

Hopes are high after scientists have recently ignored the effect of wind erosion by releasing methane into the atmosphere.

However, according to Professor King, there are still non-biological processes that can explain the Martian mystery.

The Mars expert said: "The methane on Mars has other possible sources, such as water-rock reactions or decomposing materials containing methane."

The Mars study was funded by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission and the Canadian Space Agency.