[Tech] Marte, trovato metano nell'atmosfera: segno di vita?

Secondo due gruppi indipendenti di scienziati, nell'atmosfera di Marte c'è metano.



La notizia è importante almeno quanto quella relativa alla scoperta di acqua sul pianeta: il metano viene immesso nell'atmosfera o da vulcani in attività o dal metabolismo degli esseri viventi, dai microrganismi in su, e dal momento che su Marte non ci sono più da molto tempo vulcani attivi...

A strong signal of life on Mars has been detected by scientists at the US National Aeronautics and Space Admin- istration (Nasa) and the European Space Agency.



Each group has independently discovered tantalising evidence of methane in the Martian atmosphere. Methane, a waste product of living organisms on Earth, could also be a by-product of alien microbes living under the surface of the Red Planet.



The detection of methane has been the holy grail of scientists studying the Martian atmosphere, as its presence could provide unequivocal proof that there is life beyond Earth.



Neither Nasa nor the European Space Agency (ESA) has publicly announced the findings, but specialists who have seen the data believe the discovery is genuine - although they are unsure what it means in terms of confirming the presence of life.



(...)



Methane is destroyed by the intense ultraviolet radiation on Mars because the gas has a relatively short photochemical lifetime of about 300 years, so if it is present there must be something producing it continually, Professor Formisano (Institute of Physics and Interplanetary Science, Rome) said. "[Its presence] is significant and very important. If it is present you need a source," he added.

Fonte: The Independent.