An eye-catching announcement

[james_davis_nicoll]

"NASA will hold a science update at 2 p.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 15, to discuss analysis of the Martian atmosphere that raises the possibility of life or geologic activity."

And since this is Friday, the Planetary Society Blog has a discussion of the announcement.


Strong Release of Methane on Mars in Northern Summer 2003

Comments

[seawasp]

The strength of the methane release impresses me. Though I wonder if that doesn't argue against life-based production; wouldn't it have to be an awfully active biosphere to dump that much out? Volcanoes aren't limited by bio processes.

(of course, imagine if the source is the same as the one they're comparing it to. "OIL ON MARS!!!)

[galbinus-caeli.livejournal.com]

Active volcanism on Mars would be almost as interesting as life.

[twoeleven.livejournal.com]

Why?

He says, betraying his training as a biochemist, and not as a geologist.

No geology training here, so if I'm wrong, someone slap me

[abidemi.livejournal.com]

Being much smaller than Earth, Mars's core has long since cooled, and so the surface shouldn't have much in the way of active geology. No volcanoes, earthquakes, plate movements; that sort of thing. Volcanic activity would significantly revise our understanding of the planet, among other things.

Given what we know about Mars already, volcanoes seem like more of a stretch than a biological source. Not saying that's proof it is biological, but given only those two options, I know which I'd put my money on.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Vulcanism as the source of the methane is ruled out, they say, by the lack of sulfur dioxide (I think; it was some sulfur compound anyway, or maybe all of them).

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

I'm wracking my brain for a plausible mechanism whereby the detection of methane in the Martian atmosphere would be due to either contamination by the probe or faulty calibration or something... just so that I can crack wise to an engineer with "you smelled it, you dealt it."

-- Steve is, alas, insufficiently informed on the mechanics to pull that one off.

PS: I wish I was cartoonist enough to draw a passible Viking 1 lander saying, "Hey, pull my finger," to Opportunity.

Sure, it's crap.

[galbinus-caeli.livejournal.com]

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

An article in today's WashPost, too.