ASTRONOMY Scientists do not know if the gas has a biological or geological origin …
Will he living organisms in the Martian soil? It will take a next mission for the answer, but scientists do not rule this possibility. Tuesday, NASA revealed that the origin of methane unknown peaks were detected by the robot Curiosity in the Gale crater
The scientific community is abuzz for a simple reason. This Earth gas is 95% of micro-organisms but may also be produced by a geological process.
peaks ten times higher
Curiosity was first detected methane levels lower than expected by scientists, who come from the decomposition of the dust of the ground under the influence of sunlight and organic materials carried by meteorites. But the robot also measured peaks “ten times higher” four times in 60 Martian days. However, they remain well below the levels found on Earth.
“These results suggest that methane is produced occasionally or escapes from the ground near the Gale crater and that disperses rapidly once these sources are drying up, “according to the researchers, who published their findings in the journal Science .
” past or present microbial life “
According to John Grotzinger, of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), chief scientist of the Curiosity mission, detected methane can “indicate the presence of a past or present microbial life.” It is possible that the gas has been produced by living organisms long ago and he regularly escapes to the surface.
Unfortunately, Curiosity does not have the necessary tools to determine origin of methane. The next US robot, expected in 2020, could deliver the long-awaited answer
& gt;. & Gt; Infographic: the methane cycle
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