NASA Scientists Say Mars May Have Life

Washington (UPI) Feb 16, 2005
NASA scientists said there is a possibility that Mars may harbor living organisms, Space.com reported Wednesday.

In an exclusive story, the space Web site said it has learned that two scientists told a group of NASA officials on Sunday they have found evidence life could exist on Mars.

The life, if it exists, would be in the form of organisms that exist in caves and pockets of water beneath the Martian surface.

Space.com reported that the scientists said their proof was not direct, but rather could be inferred by the presence of methane in the planet's atmosphere, and by findings of bacteria living in extreme conditions on Earth.

One such place is the Rio Tinto River in Spain, which is colored red, similar to the surface of Mars, because its acidic water contains a high percentage of iron and a mineral called jarosite, which is found on Earth in hot springs.

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MARSDAILY

The Martian Methane Surprise

Moffett Field CA (SPX) Dec 07, 2004
At the recent Division of Planetary Sciences conference in Louisville, Kentucky, Michael Mumma, Director of the Center for Astrobiology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, announced that relatively high levels of methane had been detected on Mars.