MEXICO: Scientists have discovered methane hidden in Martian meteorites, which could hint that the elusive gas, which on Earth is often linked to life, might be lurking beneath the surface of Mars today.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could have implications for the biological potential of the Red Planet.
“The availability of methane and hydrogen is critical to the potential of the Martian crust as a habitat for microbial life,” the study authors wrote. “The hostile Martian surface is probably less habitable than the subsurface, and several scenarios have been proposed for deep Martian life.”
The mystery of methane on Mars has long dogged astrobiologists looking to assess whether life could have existed on the Red Planet. Methane can be made in nonbiological ways, but on Earth, the majority of it is made by living things. Methane can also be consumed by certain types of microbes, so the presence of methane could potentially be a food source for them.
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