The prospect of finding life on Mars came a step closer yesterday after Nasa revealed it had discovered 'plumes' of methane gas seeping from the planet.
When methane was first found in the Martian atmosphere in 2003, some scientists claimed it could have been dumped on the planet by comets.
But the latest discovery is proof that it is actually produced on the Red Planet.
The pinpointing of the location of the plumes of gas also offers scientists likely places to dig for life.
Nasa's announcement yesterday is highly significant because most of the methane on Earth is produced by living organisms - raising the possibility that some form of life, even if just microbes, are alive deep within the soil.
Nasa scientists stressed there was still no direct evidence of extra-terrestrial life and that methane can also be produced by volcanic activity.
However, no active volcanoes have ever been spotted on Mars. On Earth, 90 per cent of the methane in the atmosphere comes from living organisms.
British scientists last night welcomed the discovery, published in the journal Science.
Professor Colin Pillinger, the Open University scientist behind the failed Beagle 2 Mars probe in 2003, said: 'Methane is one indicator of life - and this is still more circumstantial evidence.
Source : dailymail
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