Water and methane maps overlap on Mars: a new clue?

[Whitters]

Recent analyses of ESA’s Mars Express data reveal that concentrations of water vapour and methane in the atmosphere of Mars significantly overlap. This result, from data obtained by the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS), gives a boost to understanding of geological and atmospheric processes on Mars, and provides important new hints to evaluate the hypothesis of present life on the Red Planet.

Read more:
http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEML131XDYD_0.html

[Mike]

NASA are makign an announcement tonight at 7pm our time.

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jan/HQ_M09-005_Mars_Update.html

Looks like they may be saying the methane in the Martian atmosphere coul dbe produced by microbes undeerneath the surface :-

WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a science update at 2 p.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 15, to discuss analysis of the Martian atmosphere that raises the possibility of life or geologic activity. The briefing will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St., S.W., Washington, and carried live on NASA Television.

The briefing participants are:

- Michael Meyer, Mars program lead scientist, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Michael Mumma, senior planetary scientist and director, Goddard Center for Astrobiology, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
- Geronimo Villanueva, planetary scientist and astrobiologist, Goddard Space Flight Center
- Sushil Atreya, professor of atmospheric and space science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Lisa Pratt, professor of geological sciences, Indiana University in Bloomington.

[mickw]

More :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090115/sc_space/marsmethanegeologyorbiology

Even more :

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jan/HQ_09-006_Mars_Methane.html

And some more:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090115-am-mars-methane.html

[Rick]

Large quantities of methane gas have been detected on Mars, Nasa scientists have announced in Science journal.

The gas could be produced either by geological activity or by life.

Methane was detected in the Martian atmosphere five years ago; scientists have found it is more abundant over particular parts of the planet.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7829315.stm

[Rick]

Methane on Mars is being produced and destroyed far faster than on Earth, according to analysis of recent data.

Scientists in Paris used a computer climate model for the Red Planet to simulate observations made from Earth.

It shows the gas is unevenly distributed in the Martian atmosphere and changes with the seasons.

The presence of methane on Mars is intriguing because its origin could either be life or geological activity - including volcanism.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8186314.stm

[doug]

     aaaahhhhhh ..... but ..... methane is also what alcohol fired-up astronomers, sheep, cows and dogs whhooofff out in the middle of the night ..... as well as small Martians.  Mick W.. take note !!!!!! 

[Mike]

I personally believe there are at least 4 good candidates within our own Solar System to harbour simple life forms and would not be at all surprised if they find some.

[Tony G]

Mike,

Having a guess, would one of those be Essex by any chance.
Norfolk was my second choice.

Tony G

[Ian]

Mike,

Having a guess, would one of those be Essex by any chance.
Norfolk was my second choice.

Tony G

It's life Tony, but not as we know it...

[Mike]

Having a guess, would one of those be Essex by any chance.
Norfolk was my second choice.

Ther i s a remote possibility of simple microbial life in those locations, but personally I doubt if very much.

[mickw]

Tony, Tony, Tony

Everyone knows there is no inteligent life in Norfolk, but there is an abundance of stupid life in Essex 

I shall be out under  the stars tonight watching for the Burbrerryeids 

[Rick]

The methane found on Mars is not brought to the planet by meteor strikes, scientists say.

Meteoritic material subjected to high temperatures did not release enough methane to account for the amount believed to be released on Mars.

The researchers argue that the methane must therefore be created by geologic or chemical processes, or it is a by-product of microbial life.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8402741.stm