While it is not the 'archived' story of the martian CH4 detection this past spring...
...there are only a few new facts revealed.
(1) The methane seems to be of equatorial origin on Mars.
(2) The biomass [if the methane has biological origins]
is estimated at 20 metric tons.
(3) The annual methane output is estimated at 270 metric tons.
My view/opinion?...I think Mars does currently have microbial life,
but I think the residual martian biosphere is gradually shrinking, and
its remaining martian life will sometime in the future die off
[with, or without human intervention] leaving Mars with no more
native biological specimens.
Jacob
"This planet has a 100 percent mortality rate".
