The Real Martians?

Nasa and university scientists have released a report indicating that they have discovered plumes of methane gas in the atmosphere of Mars.

Close to 90% of the methane gas produced on Earth is made by living organisms during the digestion of nutrients. However, there are a few known geological sources for the gas -- such as iron oxidation and volcanic activity. Though there are no known dynamic volcanoes on Mars it is possible that the discovered methane is archaic and has been trapped in ice cages (called clathrates) well beneath the plant's surface for millions of years. Like Earth, Mars has seasons and methane could be released during the warm part of its year when crevices form in the land of the planet. The report also openly acknowledges that the methane could have a biological origin and be produced miles into the planet's interior by microscopic life forms. In fact, a similar subterranean form of life has existed on Earth for millions of years beneath the Witwatersrand basin of South Africa. Liquid water, a necessary ingredient for carbon-based life forms, has not been discovered on the planet.  However, ice has been identified in soil just inches below the surface, indicating that liquid water may be present deeper into the warmer interior of the planet.  Nasa will now embark on further research exploring the phenomena of the detected plumes of methane gas (pictured above).

Nasa's press release for this story can be found here.