NASA finds traces of aliens living on the Red Planet
Methane gas detected on Mars produced by organisms on Earth - Image from Unsplash
The US space agency NASA revealed that it had detected a gas on Mars produced by living organisms on Earth, raising scientists' confusion about what might be hiding on the red planet.
In detail, NASA's Curiosity rover detected a continuous flow of methane gas from Gale Crater, appearing at different times of the day and fluctuating seasonally.
The research team expects that the methane gas that was found could be lurking under the hardened salt, and would only leak out when temperatures on Mars rose, or when Curiosity moved above the crust.
A sign of life
The researchers explained that on Earth, this simple molecule, consisting of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms, is usually a sign of life.
Regarding the Gale crater from which methane gas emerged, scientists discovered that it was the only one on the Red Planet where Curiosity discovered the gas.
To understand what might actually happen, scientists conducted experiments simulating Martian soil conditions in the laboratory, and discovered that over a long period, salts (perchlorates) emerge from deep within the rocky and dusty surface of the planet, or what is known as “regolith.”
“Toxic perchlorates” are abundant in ice trapped under the surface of Mars . As the ice gradually evaporates, the salty vapor filters out and leaves part of it behind, and when a sufficient amount of salts accumulates in the regolith, it forms a kind of shell or shell.
A type of living organism
Scientists reported , regarding their expectations for the cause of methane gas appearing on the Red Planet, that such a process could occur naturally on Mars over a long period of time in shallow permafrost areas, and it may be possible for enough salt to accumulate in the upper layer to form Dandruff.
As the salty steam rises, so too does methane gas of mysterious origin (so far), which could come from “some kind of living organism,” or it could result from geological processes beneath the surface of Mars, which are still invisible to scientists.
It is worth noting that NASA 's Curiosity Mars Rover has been roaming the surface of Mars since 2012, and during all that time, the most confusing thing it found was the continuous flow of methane gas coming from the crater of the Gale Crater volcano. Research and studies are currently being conducted about it to ascertain its nature and causes.
Source: websites