Mars Methane Boosts Chances for Life
By Robert Naeye
November 11, 2004 |
Tantalizing new evidence possibly suggestive of current life on Mars has just been reported by two independent teams. The groups, led by Michael J. Mumma (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) and Vladimir A. Krasnopolsky (Catholic University of America), have found the spectral signature of methane (CH4) in the Martian atmosphere. Mumma's team found significant enhancements of methane near the equator, while Krasnopolsky's results show a global level of atmospheric methane. The results were presented this week at the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Sciences conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
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