How does Nasa detecting Methane on Mars change our view of the planet?
Finding methane on mars changes our view of the planet because either we’ve come closer to discovering life on Mars, or we’ve learned about some new geological activity. If volcanoes are on Mars, then this is new information. That means Mars is geologically active in ways no one ever suspected. The reason scientists overlooked volcanoes in the first place is because so much ice is found on the surface of Mars. Mars would seem to have a more “Earth like” environment if volcanoes are really causing the methane. Less ice would be expected on the surface as a result. However, if volcanic activity truly is going on, maybe scientists had wrong expectations about Martian geology. Scientists don’t mind being wrong sometimes if it means more research and an opportunity to improve current understanding. The more exciting alternative is that microorganisms like bacteria are releasing the methane. Similar activity which involves the release of methane is found on Earth. If Mars has the same phenom
