Martian Methane Media Madness

"Mars methane media mess"
Bad Astronomy blog / Discover (January 19, 2009)

"By now you’ve probably heard the news about Mars: methane gas is being generated on the Red Planet, and the amount varies with season and location. There are really only two ways to make methane that we know of: geologically (volcanoes, chemical changes under the surface, and so on) and biologically (little critters basically farting).

"Mars is an interesting place, and anytime we find something new and interesting about it, it’s not surprising to see the media covering it. It’s also not surprising to see the scientists involved excited about it. But when that news deals with biology, well, things tend to get a little out of control.

"Or, as in this case, a lot out of control...."

The post is a good read, and has a fine summary of what we actually know about Martian methane. (Selected points: it's there; something's producing it, and we don't know what.)

The author is right: some of the tabloid media took the story and ran, screaming, right off the edge or reality. Hardly surprising.

Mainstream media, tabloids and all, doesn't have the best track record for getting science right.

There is a pretty good article in a specialized online publication:

"Mars Methane: Geology or Biology?"
Space.com (January 15, 2009)

Other posts, about "Mars, Mostly."