Evidence of life on Mars could have been found by Nasa's Curiosity Rover.
One of the instruments on the robot found mysterious spikes of methane that cannot easily be explained by geology or other theories. Scientists can’t be sure what is causing the spikes, but it is possible that it could be very small, bacteria-like living organisms.
If the gas is coming from living, breathing microbes then it would mark one of the biggest discoveries in history.
Scientists have said that the rover now has to test and re-test the possibility of life.
The new discovery, reported in the journal Science, followed studies of gas samples by Curiosity's Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TAS), an instrument that uses intense light to carry out chemical analysis.
It revealed a low background level of methane which spiked 10-fold over a period of just 60 Martian days.
In four sequential measurements, Curiosity showed the methane level soaring from about 0.69 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) to 7.2 ppbv.
The spikes occurred within 200 to 300 metres of each other and less than a kilometre from where the lower readings were detected.
By the time Curiosity had travelled a further kilometre, the higher methane levels had disappeared.
If they discovered this 150 years ago it would be shattering news but now people are just like "oh cool" and then flip to a new tab to check what Kim's wearing
Mars has a pretty harsh environment for literally any kind of life so it's exciting to think about what the biological implications of this would be. Will Martian microbes have a similar chemical makeup to terrestrial life forms? Will they look similar to bacteria, or protozoa?
If they discovered this 150 years ago it would be shattering news but now people are just like "oh cool" and then flip to a new tab to check what Kim's wearing
Probably the first and only post you've said that I'll agree with
If they discovered this 150 years ago it would be shattering news but now people are just like "oh cool" and then flip to a new tab to check what Kim's wearing
Exactly, tell Wendy to report these kind of hot topics
