Methane gas was detected on Mars 6 years ago. Scientists might finally know why.

Mars.
(Image credit: Vanit Janthra/ iStock)

Almost six years after NASA's Curiosity rover first detected hints of methane on Mars, scientists may have uncovered the reason it was there.

On June 16, 2013, the Curiosity rover's sensors picked up a spike of methane gas levels in the Gale Crater, the 96-mile crater where it had landed in 2012, The Guardian explained. This reading immediately raised some questions, since methane is a gas often produced by microbial life forms on Earth (although it can be released in other ways). Since then, many have speculated on whether this methane blip was a sign of Martian life, just a chemical reaction, or even an error caused by Curiosity's equipment.

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Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.