Methane on Mars: the plot thickens

New Scientist ^ | 8/02/05 | Maggie McKee

[LibWhacker]

Hey, nothing wrong with a good sense of healthy skepticism, but I can see where this is going: Someday an astronaut is going to step out onto the surface of some distant moon or planet, get heartily bitten on the backside by some snarling beast, and the skeptics are going to dismiss it as sharp, swirling debris stirred up by atmospheric turbulence.

[Gefreiter]

"Methane on Mars may be produced at rates 3000 times higher than previously thought..."

Sheesh, don't light a match...

[kenth]

If there is methane on mars, it means there are cows on mars.

[weegee]

Or catch of whiff of the local air and ask, "OK, Who dealt it?"

[brownsfan]

"If there is methane on mars, it means there are cows on mars."

Alright... who lost track of Rosie O'Donnell again?!

[minus_273]

or mexican food

[mlc9852]

Or my ex-husband is on Mars.

[FormerACLUmember]

Off topic, but here is a Martian ice lake photographed last week. Also note the ice and frost on the craters's lip.

[Red Badger]

Taco Bell on Mars..........Run for the Border!.........

[calex59]

Yes, martian cows eat dust, a well known scientific fact. We all know cows here on earth should all be destroyed because they are damaging the planet beyond repair. Mars was undoubtedly destroyed by methane producing cows, the only creatures to survive the cow holocaust.

[Bacon Man]

Don't look at me. I only produce methane on this planet. :)

[AntiGuv]

OK, who was it?!?

[One Proud Dad]

It's Bush's fault...

[tcostell]

Actually, it's all part of Karl Rove's master plan. The pieces are finally coming together......

[LibWhacker]

I love that picture. Read about it last week but didn't see any estimate of how much water is in that lake. Anyone heard anything new about that? And how many such craters do they believe are on Mars, away from the poles? Do love the pic, though! Very beautiful.

Yes, Irene, there is something to intelligent design after all... And God wants us to go to Mars!

[Tallguy]

Somewhere in here there's a nub of an idea for a Gary Larsen "Far Side" cartoon. I'm envisioning a heard of martian cows hiding under a cliff every time the Martian Observer overflies their grazing area. Caption: The real source of Martian methane!

[lysie]

You may get a kick out of this.

[LibWhacker]

LOLOL! I like that. Larsen would, too. :-)

[brytlea]

Thanks for posting that. It's COOL! What do they surmise the ice is made of?
susie

[Mister_Diddy_Wa_Diddy]

Or my ex-husband is on Mars.

It was the only place I could go to find some peace from your griping azz. hehehe