For scientists hunting for life on Mars, the new buzzword is methane. In 2003 a group studying the Red Planet saw the spectral signal of methane gas, often a sign of biological activity on Earth. Since then, Michael Mumma, director of NASA's God-dard Center for Astrobiology, has monitored Mars closely. In January he announced his results: Broad plumes of methane emanate from the planet's surface, "fundamentally changing our understanding of Mars." To track the methane, Mumma dispatched observers to NASA's InfraRed Telescope Facility and the W. M. Keck Observatory, both in Hawaii.
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机译：对于在火星上寻找生命的科学家来说，新的流行词是甲烷。 2003年，一个研究“红色星球”的小组看到了甲烷气体的光谱信号，这通常是地球上生物活动的标志。从那以后，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）达德（God-dard）天体生物学中心主任迈克尔·玛玛（Michael Mumma）一直密切监视火星。 1月，他宣布了自己的研究结果：行星表面散发出大量甲烷，“从根本上改变了我们对火星的了解”。为了追踪甲烷，Mumma向夏威夷的NASA红外望远镜设施和W. M. Keck天文台派遣了观察员。
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