The search for life on Mars continues. It may seem surprising that despite the extremely unfavorable conditions for life on the surface of Mars, scientists believe that signs of life can be found underground. Many scientists believe that there must have been life there at some point. But it is also true that there is no life on the surface today. But during a scientific discussion, a scientist made a strange claim.
Space scientists have not ruled out that the discovery of methane on Mars is due to small cows hiding under the surface. This bizarre claim came during a discussion about where the gas discovered by the Curiosity rover on the red planet may have come from. It is worth noting that on Earth itself, cattle contribute heavily to methane emissions.
Speaking to Cornell University astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger, Chris Lintott, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford, said, “Mars is right next to us. The Curiosity rover has caught these burps of methane that seem to come from below the surface and sometimes pass through them.” When asked by Kaltenegger if the methane could be from underground cows, Lintott said, “Maybe – small cows.”
Cattle also contribute to huge amounts of methane emissions on Earth. (Symbolic picture: Wikimedia Commons)
But Kaltenegger said there could be thousands of explanations for methane, both geological and not life-related. “We get a signal, methane, and then everybody wants it to be life. I, too, hope that the signals of methane on Mars are life. Yes, I want it to be life, but as a scientifically trained person I put my wishes out there and think, ‘Is there an explanation?’ And unfortunately we have thousands of explanations that are geological, and then we have little cows,” he said.
Lintott said: “That’s not to say it’s not a cow, it’s to say there are a number of other explanations, which I agree with – so it could be geology, or some heat or some chemistry.” Kaltenegger said: “I’d go with you on methane-producing bacteria, but little cows?”
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FIRST PUBLISHED : August 26, 2024, 07:51 IST
