I heard on the BBC news this morning that NASA will announce today
that they have discovered smoking gun evidence for the existence of
life on the red planet. A thin layer of methane has been discovered in
the light Martian evidence.  Methane is a chemical that, in nature, is
derived exclusively from biological processes.  It cannot be in the
Martian atmosphere solely as a result of geochemical or meteorological
conditions. Therefore, the find heralds the existence of life on Mars.

What form does that life take? Most likely very simple microbial life
known as 'extremophiles', which are capable of handling the freezing
cold conditions on the planet.  It was thought that such life might
only be found below the surface of Mars, but recent discoveries have
raised the possibility that water has moved across the Martian surface
in the relatively recent past.  So it is plausible that the Martian
life might be nearer to the surface of the planet than originally
anticipated.

The finding, if proven, would be a great step forward for those of us
who advocate that life is as routine a feature of the galaxy as stars
and planets.  Whether life emerges as a natural event all over the
universe, or is widely spread by comets (panspermia) once it takes
hold, it is everywhere.  

The historic announcement will be made at 7pm today GMT.

Reference:  http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2133475.ece

Andy Lloyd, 14th January 2009

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