Martian Gases Pose Life Question

The Mars Express Planetary Fourier Spectrometer is designed to determine what Mars' atmosphere is made of, and recently confirmed the presence of trace amounts of methane. What is remarkable here is that methane should not be readable unless it is actively being replenished in some way. One idea is that volcanic processes may be causing the gas to form (however, no active volcanoes have been found on Mars as of yet). Or, Martian ice that had once entrapped the methane may be melting and finally releasing their ancient storage of methane. An exciting theory states that methanogens, (methane-producing organisms, which are actually found on Earth!), may be the culprit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4295475.stm