A local increase in methane concentrations has been detected by the Curiosity rover, a discovery that may indicate the presence of living microorganisms in the area. The measurements came from Gale Crater on the Red Planet, which the robot examined for two months. Thus, the data that emerged show that average methane levels experienced a local increase of 1000%.
Η ανακάλυψη μπορεί να αποδειχθεί ιστορική, καθώς η παρtreatment μεθανίου θεωρείται ένα από τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά βιολογικής δραστηριότητας, τουλάχιστον με βάση τις μορφές ζωής που υπάρχουν στη Γη. Έτσι, είναι πιθανόν να σημαίνει πως στο παρελθόν, ή ακόμη και σήμερα, ο Κόκκινος Πλανήτης «φιλοξενούσε» έμβια όντα.
On the other hand, for the moment at least, it can not be excluded that emissions are due to a different cause, such as a geological phenomenon. "It's impossible to come up with safe conclusions from a mere measurement," said Paul Spacefield, one of the authors of the article describing the discovery and researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
"All we can do right now is to appreciate the various possible scenarios. Even if there are actually microbes on Mars, which produce methane, it is just a guess at the moment, "he added.
A hole that opened the Curiosity on a rock on Mars in order to collect a sample.
The study was published online χθες στο σάιτ του περιοδικού Science. Εκτός από το παραπάνω εύρημα, σε αυτήν οι επιστήμονες αποκαλύπτουν πως τα ατμοσφαιρικά επίπεδα του μεθανίου στον Κόκκινο πλανήτη είναι περίπου 0,7 μέρη στο δισεκατομμύριο (ppb). Το νούμερο αυτό είναι μικρότερο από τις προηγούμενες εκτιμήσεις και υπολογισμούς, αρκετά όμως μεγαλύτερο από παλιότερες ανάλογες μετρήσεις του Curiosity.
These measurements were published last year, suggesting that there is no trace of methane in the Martian atmosphere. This time, however, scientists have found a way to gather larger gaseous samples so that new data is more reliable.
Last year, the news that there was no methane on Mars disappointed many researchers, as it seemed to mean that there was no biological activity on the planet. The new one research however, it raises hopes, since it may indicate that the conditions on Mars were not so "inhospitable" for any form of life after all.
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