Curiosity Unable To Detect Methane!!!

How can we know that there is a possibility of life on some planet? Well, 90% of the people will say that , the presence of Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Carbon , plants etc..... None of it is wrong but one thing that can give quite an idea of life existence on a planet is the presence of Methane gas.It is so because, Methane is created naturally near the Earth's surface by Micro-organisms by the process Methanogenesis and then carried out into the stratosphere by rising air in the tropics. 95% of Earth's Methane is produced through microbial organisms.So, if there is life then there must be methane (As per current knowledge of life existence).

We all know that space scientists have predicted that there might have been life on Mars through some of the evidences that they have found in some samples of the Martian rocks that were found on the Earth. According to the study of Mars, done from the Earth over the period of time, telescopes and satellites have reported seeing small but significant volumes of the gas, one of them is Methane. But the martian rover, The Curiosity, has been unable to detect any amount of Methane gas. From the tests conducted by the Curiosity, it has not been possible to discern any methane to within the present limits of the TLS's sensitivity.

This means that if the gas is there, it can constitute no more than 1.3ppbv (parts per billion volume) of the atmosphere - equivalent to just over 10,000 tonnes of the gas. This upper limit is about six times lower than the previous estimates of what should be present, based on the satellite and telescope observations, which creates a big question mark on the earlier estimated volume of methane on Mars. 

Methane at Mars could have a number of possible sources, of course - not just microbial activity. It could be delivered by comets or asteroids, or produced internally by geological processes. But it is the link to life that has most intrigued planetary scientists. Curiosity and the scientists are still working hard to unlock the answer to this mystery.

'Liquid-liquid' phase transition !!!

We all know there are 4 types of states of matter which are observed in the everyday life, namely Gas, Solid, Liquid and Plasma. There are many other sates too like Bose Einstein condensate , superfluid... Etc., but they only occur in extreme conditions. We also know that phase transitions between these sates is possible , for example., liquid when freeze'd becomes solid, gases when condensed gives liquid and gases when ionized gives us plasma... Etc., also , we can supercool a liquid (like water); supercooling is a process of lowering the temperature of a liquid below its freezing point without making it transform into a solid.

Okay so..., If I ask you how will you transform a liquid into a liquid... You will probably think how can a liquid transform to its own state???? Or probably you would just say such an idiot, what a stupid question!!!!!! 

But Researchers at the University of Arkansas have identified that water, when chilled to a very low temperature, transforms into a new form of liquid. Strange right!! Let me just brief you about it: 

Through a simulation performed in “supercooled” water, a research team led by chemist Feng “Seymour” Wang, confirmed a “liquid-liquid” phase transition at 207 Kelvins, or 87 degrees below zero on the Fahrenheit scale.

The properties of supercooled water are important for understanding basic processes during cryoprotection, which is the preservation of tissue or cells by liquid nitrogen so they can be thawed without damage, said Wang, an associate professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

On a miscrosecond time scale, the water does not actually form ice but it transformes into a new form of liquid.

The study provides strong supporting evidence of the liquid-liquid phase transition and predicted a temperature of minimum density if water can be cooled well below its normal freezing temperature. Study shows water will expand at a very low temperature even without forming ice.

 The University of Arkansas research team investigated the liquid-liquid phase transition using a simulation model called Water potential from Adaptive Force Matching for Ice and Liquid (WAIL). While normal water is a high-density liquid, the low-density liquid emerged at lower temperatures, according to the simulation.