How do scientists discover the sources of methane molecules on Earth and on Mars?
What About on Mars?
Your team is not the only group of scientists trying to determine the origin of methane molecules. The simplest of all organic molecules, methane has often been called the "signature of life." When it was discovered in the Martian atmosphere in 2003, determining its source became the ambition of several researches trying learn if conditions are favorable of life on the red planet. But can the origin of methane be discovered in the same way on Mars as it can on Earth?
Your team is not the only group of scientists trying to determine the origin of methane molecules. The simplest of all organic molecules, methane has often been called the "signature of life." When it was discovered in the Martian atmosphere in 2003, determining its source became the ambition of several researches trying learn if conditions are favorable of life on the red planet. But can the origin of methane be discovered in the same way on Mars as it can on Earth?
On Earth, scientists have done extensive research and can determine whether methane is biogenic, thermogenic, or non-biological based on standard values. On Mars, however, it is not quite as easy. Experimentation is much more difficult, with instruments having to be transported on space crafts for several months and humans having to operate everything from Earth. There are no standard values for calculations and comparisons on Mars. Life on our planet has evolved to favor certain 13C/12C ratios as a result of biological processes. It is possible that life on Mars, if it exists, evolved to favor entirely different ratios. In that case, the calculations you did on the previous page to identify where your methane samples originated could not be applied in the same way to the study of methane on Mars.