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Martian Methane May Be Created By Lifeforms

Following our recent discussions about the growing evidence pointing to possible life on Mars, reader skywatcher2501 writes with news of a study that has ruled out one possible explanation for the levels of methane seen on that planet — that it might be replenished by disintegrating meteors entering the atmosphere. So two theories remain: either the gas is created as a by-product of reactions between volcanic rock and water, or it is a by-product of a lifeform's metabolism.

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  1. Carbon-14 measurement? by TheSync · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Wouldn't carbon-14 measurement of the methane tell us whether there is live involved or not?