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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The existence of aliens is one of the most discussed and divisive topics around, with people tending to sit firmly in the camp of believer or sceptic. But according to some people at NASA, the concept of life on Mars – a topic once discussed in a song by David Bowie, no less – may not be such a strange one after all. <\/p>\n
According to recent reports from the American space agency, its Curiosity rover, which has been scouring the surface of the red planet all on its own for over two years since touching down in on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater on August 6th 2012, may have discovered life. <\/p>\n
While the vehicle was climbing a pile of sedimentary rock known as Mount Sharp, it is said to have picked up a small fluctuation of methane gas, a sign that something may be on the planet with it after all. <\/p>\n
The background concentration of methane is said to have been less than one part per billion by volume in the atmosphere, but the fact it fluctuated in "methane burps" has NASA excited, believing that it's a sign life exists, or has existed, on the planet. <\/p>\n
"Most of the methane on Earth is produced by biology, and the hope has been that “methane on Mars” could be reduced to “Life on Mars,”" said Chris Webster, the lead author of the study published in Science. <\/p>\n
"But we cannot yet distinguish whether the high methane levels we’re seeing are being produced geochemically or biologically."<\/p>\n
The claim of life existing on Mars is not new, of course. As recently as last month, respected physicist and author John Brandenberg said he believes that intelligent life once walked on the planet, and that it may have been wiped out at one stage by nuclear attacks. He said the attacks were so intense, they left the planet cold and lifeless. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Discovery of methane gas suggests life on Mars may not be such a strange concept. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n