Curiosity Detects Mysterious Methane Spikes On Mars

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Curiosity Detects Mysterious Methane Spikes On Mars

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 16, 2014 @09:37AM from the and-still-hasn't-killed-any-cats dept.

astroengine writes: A gas strongly associated with life on Earth has been detected again in the Martian atmosphere, opening a new chapter in a decade-old mystery about the on-again, off-again appearance of methane on Mars. The latest discovery comes from NASA's Curiosity rover, which in addition to analyzing rocks and soil samples, is sniffing the air at its Gale Crater landing site. A year ago, scientists reported that Curiosity had come up empty-handed after an eight-month search for methane in the atmosphere, leaving earlier detections by ground-based telescopes and Mars-orbiting spacecraft an unexplained anomaly. "We thought we had closed the book on methane. It was disappointing to a lot of people that there wasn't significant methane on Mars, but that's where we were," Curiosity scientist Christopher Webster with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told Discovery News.

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Sorry... by TWX · 2014-12-16 09:38 · Score: 3, Funny

I'm really sorry. Excuse me.

--
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
1. Re:Sorry... by Pope+Hagbard · 2014-12-16 09:57 · Score: 2
  
  Came here expecting fart jokes, disappointed as expected.
2. Re:Sorry... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 11:00 · Score: 0
  
  Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be a Mars-shattering KABOOM!
3. Re:Sorry... by roc97007 · 2014-12-16 11:36 · Score: 1
  
  I'm really sorry. Excuse me.
  What? I blamed it on the dog. Sorry, boy.
  
  --
  Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
4. Re:Sorry... by Tablizer · 2014-12-16 12:14 · Score: 1
  
  That explains the No Smoking sign the probe found.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
5. Re:Sorry... by Zaatxe · 2014-12-16 23:54 · Score: 2
  
  Don't apologize, it's from Mars, not from Uranus.
  
  --
  So say we all
Obviously by dysmal · 2014-12-16 09:39 · Score: 0

Mars has gas!
1. Re:Obviously by TWX · 2014-12-16 09:50 · Score: 0
  
  Now you just need to convince them that Mars has oil, so some of the vast military budget can be directed toward 'invading' it.
  
  --
  Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
2. Re:Obviously by peragrin · 2014-12-16 10:27 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  no no no the USA doesn't invade a country. Russia invaded Crimera and is still there.
  the USA storms in messes up the place, kicks holes in the walls, maybe set some drapes on fire, and then brings in new drapes, and if you are lucky puts the furniture back into the correct orientation. We then empower the locals through bribes to continue working with us. While our soldiers head back home. Which then creates warlords that we have to mess up the place again in the future.
  You see invasions mean our troops stay. in reality the USA marches in and marches back out again and again.
  
  --
  i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
3. Re:Obviously by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 11:07 · Score: 0
  
  There is something else I know of that has that kind of in and out motion...
  Now bend over and relax.
4. Re:Obviously by Dantoo · 2014-12-16 11:15 · Score: 2
  
  Yes, there were no troops left in Texas, California, Panama, Philipines, Japan, China, Guam, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Japan (again) Guam, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan.......Unless of course the people there really really begged for those troops to stay.
  It's all point of view. There's plenty of Russians that think that annexing the Crimea was a just and caring move to guarantee the longer term safety of the people. Peace on Earth and goodwill to all Russian speaking minorities that love freedom etc..
  Everybody means well in these things...don't they?
5. Re:Obviously by The+Grim+Reefer · 2014-12-16 11:26 · Score: 1
  
  Mars has gas!
  Jupiter laughs.
6. Re:Obviously by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 18:51 · Score: 0
  
  lol are you really that naive? after more than 50 years of destabilizing south america, the middle east, asia, europe (nixon ceausescu? rofl) everywhere where they could without running into **real** opposition
7. Re:Obviously by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 21:37 · Score: 0
  
  You Westerners keep screaming "Democracy" but when 83% of the 1,274,000 Crimean voters voted and 96.7% voted yes to join Russia, it is suddenly an "Invasion".
  How about just shut the fuck up for once.
  And the rest of the world knows the west paid for the coup and Shell is pissed because they already paid for the would be pipeline route in Crimea.
  All the gold in Ukraine is gone and Biden's son is now the executive of the largest oil company in Ukraine.
  Fuck your democracy.
8. Re:Obviously by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 22:06 · Score: 0
  
  It's a legitimate democratic vote only if the European Union says so. Did you get it, slavic peasants? Europe rules! Sieg heil! Sieg Heil! SIEG HEIL!!!
9. Re:Obviously by visavillem · 2014-12-16 22:19 · Score: 1
  
  ...83% of the 1,274,000 Crimean voters..., that included also votes from the dead people, and the right decision was "encouraged" with automatic weapons. A fine example of Russian (read: Soviet) "democracy". And no independent observers were allowed to observe the voting.
  A joke from the former USSR. When was the first real democratic Soviet election? It was when god brought Adam to Eve and told: "i want you to choose a wife".
  It sounds better in my native language, because we have the same word for both the election and choice
  P.S Pardon my English, it's not my first language.
  
  --
  I'm not really here, it's just more probable that i'm here, than anywhere else.
10. Re:Obviously by visavillem · 2014-12-16 22:20 · Score: 1
  
  Titan too.
  
  --
  I'm not really here, it's just more probable that i'm here, than anywhere else.
11. Re:Obviously by allcoolnameswheretak · 2014-12-16 23:30 · Score: 1
  
  They voted only -after- Russia took military control over Crimea. All the while Russia was claiming that the soldiers were not Russian, and they had removed flags and ensignas from uniforms and vehicles - a ridiculous move, as everyone in the world knew they were Russian soldiers.
  You know someone is doing something wrong when they are
  trying to hide it.
  Later, when everything was under control, Putin admitted yes, they were Russian soldiers. As if this was clear from the beginning and the Kremling had never claimed anything different. Reminded me of 1984... warp the past to suite your present.
  So this is your Democracy... Russian style.
  Same thing happening now in eastern Ukraine, with "maybe" there being "inofficially" Russian solders there. "On vacation".
12. Re:Obviously by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-17 01:47 · Score: 0
  
  Fuck your democracy.
  In Putin's Russia, democracy fucks you.
13. Re:Obviously by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-17 04:47 · Score: 0
  
  Titan too.
  Uranus just sits quietly hoping nobody notices.
14. Re:Obviously by laddiebuck · 2014-12-17 11:51 · Score: 1
  
  So you're saying the US likes to hit it and quit it?
Farting Aliens! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 09:42 · Score: 0

Doctor Who was right! (1x4)
1. Re:Farting Aliens! by roc97007 · 2014-12-16 11:41 · Score: 1
  
  A true fan refers to him as "The Doctor", not "Doctor Who". It serves to irritate non-fans.
  
  --
  Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
2. Re:Farting Aliens! by TWX · 2014-12-16 11:51 · Score: 1
  
  Go back and look at the license plate on the car that Jon Pertwee's car had, and at the heavy-handed use of the question mark in both the Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy eras, and tell yourself that "Doctor Who" for the character was not ever normal.
  
  --
  Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
JPL article by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 09:46 · Score: 5, Informative

Related links:
JPL update:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4413
Research papers:
http://go.nasa.gov/1cbk35X
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2014/12/15/science.1261713.full.pdf?ijkey=wh80Qt3dcQZKw&keytype=ref&siteid=sci
1. Re:JPL article by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 10:02 · Score: 0
  
  Also this has some interesting links for past papers and articles on mars methane, with arguments for and against microbe causes:
  http://www.reddit.com/r/curiosityrover/comments/12lht4/curiosity_concurs_with_strong_release_of_methane/
Seriously... by __aaclcg7560 · 2014-12-16 09:49 · Score: 2

Who gives a fart about Mars these days?
1. Re:Seriously... by djKing · 2014-12-16 12:56 · Score: 1
  
  That should be
  Who gave a fart on Mars today?
  
  --
  Free as in "the Truth shall set you..."
Wrong planet by Cro+Magnon · 2014-12-16 09:49 · Score: 5, Funny

I expected that around Uranus, but not Mars.

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Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
1. Re:Wrong planet by BarbaraHudson · 2014-12-16 10:23 · Score: 1
  
  I expected that around Uranus, but not Mars.
  You could ask the Klingons orbiting around Uranus.
  When methane's around,
  Fart jokes abound.
  But what we can't figure
  Is who pulled the Martian's finger?
  Burma Shave
  Okay, all joking aside, we don't know if the methane is even indigenous to Mars, or if it rode in on a dirty snowball comet, or what.
  
  --
  "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
another possibliity by iggymanz · 2014-12-16 09:50 · Score: 4, Interesting

there once was life on Mars, and it left methane hydrates in somewhat permafrost type situation that gets slightly warmed at times
1. Re:another possibliity by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 10:30 · Score: 1
  
  More likely there is still some geological activity on Mars to some degree.
2. Re:another possibliity by Matheus · 2014-12-16 10:41 · Score: 1
  
  Nope. It's gotta be aliens farting... There is NO other acceptable answer.
3. Re:another possibliity by iggymanz · 2014-12-16 10:52 · Score: 1
  
  well, I almost said the same thing; just that they're ancient permafrost preserved alien farts, aged like fine wine
4. Re:another possibliity by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 11:04 · Score: 0
  
  situation that gets slightly warmed at times
  Did somebody just light a match?
Climate Change by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 09:52 · Score: 1

Finally, indisuptable evidence of man-made climate change!
Oops... wrong planet.... never mind.
1. Re:Climate Change by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 10:20 · Score: 0
  
  You're being sarcastic, but global warming is what killed the martians off.
2. Re:Climate Change by khelms · 2014-12-16 10:32 · Score: 1
  
  I thought it was because they came here and drank the water.
3. Re:Climate Change by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 11:01 · Score: 0
  
  Quite the opposite. It was global cooling.
4. Re:Climate Change by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 12:11 · Score: 0
  
  You're being sarcastic, but global warming is what killed the martians off.
  Really, it was! The Martians kept buying SUVs and they didn't use energy-efficient light bulbs.
5. Re:Climate Change by Jhon · 2014-12-17 03:13 · Score: 1
  
  We keep flying in those gas-guzzling SUV rovers to take snapshots for our albums...
Mars will be the first prison planet by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 10:09 · Score: 0

The entire mission of searching for life on Mars was a massive project to test new technologies and get the basic processes of one way transport to Mars developed. In a decade we can send all the criminals and unwanted people to Mars. If they survive, than we colonized Mars thanks to their will to survive. And if not at least our prison population won't be the highest any longer.
1. Re:Mars will be the first prison planet by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 23:27 · Score: 0
  
  The American economy would collapse if it used a penal colony to house its prisoners. How would they get their slave labour from if not from petty criminals incarcerated for 25 years under the guise of "The war on drugs".
  America needs it's slaves... sorry, I meant prisoners to stay in America.
It teases the imagination by duck_rifted · 2014-12-16 10:10 · Score: 1

I've thought about writing stories or a book before, scifi, with total drivel for the science part but in a way that could provoke thought anyway. It turns out that space and time are one in a much more intimate way than Einstein could have guessed. That is, every planet in our solar system IS Earth, just at different times in its lifespan before it finally "dies" by becoming a rogue planet wandering the cosmos.

The characters in the story would only just have learned this. The discovery brings about a rush of research and a panic to figure out what happens to the planet to turn it into the lifeless rock we know as Mars. Others outright deny that it could even be possible, always without considering the evidence. For fear of what changes the discovery might bring, industries pay researchers to produce the results they want. Humanity roils in controversy and argument, and meanwhile the red planet is out there as a testament to the inevitable.

I must be very egotistical on humanity's behalf to this of this imaginary scenario with drivel for hypothesis before I just remind myself that microorganisms aren't as rare and special as complicated life. I hope my scifi musings aren't unwelcome on your science thread. Science inspired scifi, and scifi inspires science. It's hard to avoid, but hopefully not to terrible so long as we can tell one from the other.
Global Warming - RUN!!!!!! by pubwvj · 2014-12-16 10:11 · Score: 2

Oh my Gawd! It's the first signs of global warming on Mars!!!! All them dang human's fault. Especially the white, male, middle aged, Republican ones. /sarcasm
1. Re:Global Warming - RUN!!!!!! by able1234au · 2014-12-16 10:56 · Score: 1
  
  not too worry as the election showed they are fast disappearing.
Curiosity must have a leak by wonkey_monkey · 2014-12-16 10:16 · Score: 4, Funny

He who smelt it dealt it.

--
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
1. Re:Curiosity must have a leak by cruff · 2014-12-16 10:19 · Score: 1
  
  And is too embarrassed to admit it farted to its NASA overlords.
Maybe there was something to it... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 10:23 · Score: 1

So that old book "Men Are From Mars..." might have actually been correct?
1. Re:Maybe there was something to it... by webmistressrachel · 2014-12-16 10:37 · Score: 2
  
  What, so in your own words, Mars shows no signs of life, except for farting, and Venus is very stormy and no-one can touch (land on) her? Sounds about right!
  
  --
  This tagline was transcoded to result in at least one smirk. If you experience failure to smirk, please consult your Gen
2. Re:Maybe there was something to it... by lannocc · 2014-12-16 12:51 · Score: 1
  
  Mars displays a cold and barren exterior but, given time, reveals many exciting prospects.
  
  --
  -IOVAR Web Dev Platform
Ok, who farted? by MrKaos · 2014-12-16 10:40 · Score: 1

I bet it was someone here

--
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Rover detects mysterious farts. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 10:41 · Score: 0

Swears it's not the one farting.
1. Re:Rover detects mysterious farts. by PPH · 2014-12-16 11:34 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Rover
  There ya go, blaming the dog again.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
The actual scientific article by amaurea · 2014-12-16 11:03 · Score: 3, Informative

Here is a non-paywalled version of the actual scientific article, including a graph showing the measurements as a function of time on page 7. It's a significant but still faint detection, with the highest value being about 4 standard deviations away from zero.
1. Re:The actual scientific article by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 11:17 · Score: 1
  
  It's paywalled.
2. Re: The actual scientific article by MacGyverOfComputers · 2014-12-17 15:46 · Score: 1
  
  They need Mulder And Skully there to determine if curiosity could have found evidence of spontaneous Alien Combustion! Lol
  
  --
  Dustin J F
On the set of the Curiosity Rover by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 11:09 · Score: 0

Jim: hey you wanna see something funny?
Bill: don't do anything stupid, the scientists are watching and they don't know it's just roaming around part of the desert with some color filters on the lens
Jim: don't worry, I'll remember to cut the feed for a minute this time
[Jim farts on the rover]
Bill: heh, nice one
Thanksgiving? Too much of a coincidence by Tablizer · 2014-12-16 11:32 · Score: 1

Then, on the day after Thanksgiving in 2013, methane readings shot up in Gale Crater and stayed high while Curiosity made three more measurements over the next 60 days.
Right after Thanksgiving? I suspect they did it Gilligan's Island-style and the probe really landed on Earth, in middle America.

--
Table-ized A.I.
Solved! by PPH · 2014-12-16 11:42 · Score: 1

The bovine abduction mystery.

--
Have gnu, will travel.
MOD PARENT DOWN by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 13:43 · Score: 0

We donot like your type around here
1. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN by pubwvj · 2014-12-21 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  Coward. We love your kind. We'd eat you for breakfast.
The French! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 14:48 · Score: 0

Mars was colonized by French bacteria. they are telling us "I fart in your general direction"
Re:Poster Detects Mysterious Port on Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-16 15:51 · Score: 0

Bennett Haselton you say? He's a frequent contributor.
Truth by NewYork · 2014-12-17 05:58 · Score: 1

There is no redundancy in Universe. You''ll NOT find another Earth.

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Casteism
ferrari hd, hq wallpapers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-19 04:19 · Score: 0

Ferrari wallpapers for your desktop visit it and download HD HQ wallpapers http://www.websken.com/ferrari...