Something that is a sign of life has been discovered on Mars

The Curiosity rover discovered a steady stream of methane seeping from beneath the planet’s surface in Gale Crater on Mars. It occurs at different times of the day, and levels also vary between seasons. Scientists are baffled as to what lies deep within the red planet, as Earth’s methane is released by living things. The results of the new study were published in the journal JGR Planets, writes the Daily Mail.

Methane is a well-known molecule on Earth that consists of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. It is usually a sure sign of life, as animals release this gas after digesting food. If this also applies to Mars, then the source of methane is hidden somewhere below the surface, but what it is remains a mystery.

So far, the Curiosity rover has found methane only in Gale Crater and nowhere else, according to data analyzed in recent years. The study authors conducted an experiment using simulated Martian soil to understand what was happening. According to scientists, salts called perchlorates have been rising from the bowels of the planet to the dust-covered surface for a long time. There were many of them on Mars. These are toxic substances locked in the ice beneath the red planet’s surface.

Because Mars has a very thin atmosphere, perchlorates evaporate very slowly. When this salt penetrates the Martian dust, some of it remains there. Once enough salt accumulates in the powder, it forms a kind of shell. During this process, salty steam is released, methane also comes out.

Methane can be trapped in solidified salt and “escape” only when Martian temperatures rise. Perhaps the source of the methane is extraterrestrial living organisms? Or something else, but in any case it is hidden under the surface.

As the experiment showed, it takes 3 to 13 days to create a salt coating in the Martian soil, and even a low concentration of perchlorate is enough to form a solid salt. This shell can hold methane for a long time. When the temperature on Mars rises, the shell breaks down and methane enters the atmosphere, where it is recorded by the rover’s instruments.