Mars and Methane Gas

From here

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Methane was detected in the Martian atmosphere five years ago; scientists have found it is more abundant over particular parts of the planet.
It should last for only a short time in the atmosphere until it is destroyed by sunlight, and so its continued presence means it is being replenished. This suggests the methane is made by an ongoing process.

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Originally Posted by Michael Mumma

"The production (of methane) is likely due to only one of two possibilities. The first is geochemistry, the second is biology. That raises much interest on which one is the dominant production mechanism."

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Some scientists consider it possible that microbes could have survived for aeons below the Martian permafrost layer, where water changes from ice into liquid.

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and from Space

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Onstott and his colleagues are building an optical device for a future rover mission that could solve the Martian methane mystery. The project is part of the Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development and Mission Concept Studies (ASTID).

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Methane gas is made biologically on Earth, but they're saying this doesn't rule out a geological cause on Mars, that a geological cause is just as likely.

We just keep getting closer and closer to discovering life on this planet. I can't wait for the day where a headline reads "live microbes discovered in Martian soil - we are not alone".

To be honest, there's probably no life on Mars any more. I think I read somewhere once that most astronomers (80%+ or something) think that there was probably life on Mars millions of years ago, though.

If we could prove it, it would probably lead to a paradigm shift in public consciousness.

Regarding life in the solar system right now... probably Europa if anywhere.

Maybe a whole society of people lived on Mars before Earth..

Imagine if we could isolate the methane. If we were to send a space ship toward one of the outer planets and we timed it just right, we could use natural gas as fuel, helping to cut costs. Or, possibly harvest some of the methane from Mars if we can keep the costs of transport feasibly low.

Side note: Burning methane(CH4) in an oxygen(O2) atmosphere produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and... water(H2O), which we currently hold as being necessary for life to exist. Maybe possible life on Mars got water from some kind of combustion reaction with methane and the atmosphere, and it ended when the reaction stopped, flooding the atmosphere with excess methane... Just thinking out loud.

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Originally Posted by Licity

flooding the atmosphere with excess methane...

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This can't happen without life. Comparative planetology tells us that all planets tend toward CO2 atmospheres, because this maximizes entropy, and all known examples of dead planets confirm this. If there was life producing methane, it could not have possibly produced enough to kill itself off. That's logically impossible.

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Originally Posted by drewmandan

This can't happen without life. Comparative planetology tells us that all planets tend toward CO2 atmospheres, because this maximizes entropy, and all known examples of dead planets confirm this. If there was life producing methane, it could not have possibly produced enough to kill itself off. That's logically impossible.

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Good point. Maybe the life on Mars was intelligent enough to save up the methane for use as fuel? An accident would explain it, but highly unlikely.

Also, what kind of geological process produces methane?