Twitter intends to increase its characters from 140 to 10k, trends on twitter #twitter10k

Twitter intends to increase its characters from 140 to 10k, don't you think its too much. Nobody wants to read novels in tweets not me nah nah "@lesterftnjh: #Twitter10k yes I want more characters, but not 10K characters. 200 characters would have been enough." "@AkshayShakira: #Twitter10k is 9,860 characters to many. If it happens, Twitter will lose the one thing which sets itself apart from other social networks." "@aldrincredible: #Twitter10k Oh please no!!! We don't need that. What we need is an "edit" button." "@G3RA7D: First the favorites replaced by hearts, now #Twitter10k. Quo vadis @twitter?" "@ebuka_akara: First likes and now 10k characters? Please don't do this. There's a reason we're here and not Facebook. #Twitter10k http://pic.twitter.com/pAs39paIGI"

2016: How to make your new year resolution successful

All geared up for the New Year bash and ready to declare your resolution? Just hold on. New research has found that the secret to a successful New Year’s resolution may lie in, well, keeping it a secret or at best asking yourself a question.

A teenager is killed and his brother is seriously hurt in a so-called "counselling session" aimed at getting them to confess sins.

A couple have been charged with fatally beating their 19-year-old son in an apparent "counselling session" at a church in central New York Bruce Leonard, 65, and 59-year-old Deborah Leonard are charged with first-degree manslaughter in the death of their son Lucas. Four other members of the Word of Life Church in New Hartford were charged with assault for the attack that also left Lucas' younger brother, Christopher, seriously injured. Authorities said the beatings were part of what parishioners referred to as a "counselling session". SHARE THIS POST

Man Finds Wife's Body In Car Wreckage

A husband discovered his young wife's body in a car during a late-night search after she failed to return home. Mother-of-one Sinead Hare died in what police believe was a single-car crash in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on Sunday, 4 October. The 28-year-old was discovered at 1.17am the next day after her husband, Nathan, went looking for her. The couple had been married just over three months. In a statement, her widower said: "Sinead was a gorgeous, caring, and trustworthy person, whilst also being a truly independent woman who just enjoyed having fun, and whose smile and laughter was infectious with anyone she came across. bridge where she was found "She was the most fantastic and dedicated mum to our beautiful daughter Orla Rose, for whom I am eternally grateful and I vow that Orla Rose will grow up knowing her mummy. I am so proud and honoured that although Sinead and I were together for almost seven years, I was able to call her my wife for 106 days. SHARE THIS POST

Nigeria To Adopt E-voting Soon – INEC

Nigeria is technologically ready for electronic voting and the country may adopt it as soon as the current electoral acts are amended to that effect, the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs Amina Zakari has said.

Mrs Zakari disclosed this in Abuja yesterday while answering questions from journalists shortly after a courtesy visit by the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Peter Olu Jack.
She said: “We have always used technology as far as electoral process is concerned so as to achieve free and fair elections. Anytime we have the time to recommend amendments we will be able to make amendmments and once that impediment is lifted INEC will partner with agencies to develop framework for electoral voting.”

According to her, “INEC shall however partner with NITDA to fashion a homegrown content that will be for Nigeria.”

The acting chairman said: “INEC is ready to implement what is in the laws, we constantly say that INEC is ever ready to implement what is in the law, but as it is now we have an impediment of the law in terms of electronic voting.”
She however said the impediment would not stop INEC from deploying technology in its processes, adding that the commission relied on technology for improvements in the system.

She added: “As much as we could and that is what we did during the 2015 elections as it does bring about processes and efficiency in our operations.”
During the visit, both agencies said they would collaborate to develop fresh framework for a robust electoral voting in the nearest future, using Information Communication and Technology (ICT).

Earlier, NITDA’s Director General expressed optimism on the deployment of technology to improve the electoral system.

He spoke about the upcoming NITDA’s e-governance conference slated for November noting that it was deliberately planned to focus on the use of technology to explore possibilities to improve the country’s electoral system. He said that by the time the 2019 elections are conducted, Nigeria would have a fair polls acceptable by the international community.

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62 year old man survives six days in desert without food or water

A missing man survived for six days without food and water in the Australian outback by eating black ants and sheltering under a tree. Reginald George Foggerdy was rescued from the "extremely hot" and remote desert bushland in Western Australia around 6am on Tuesday. Specially trained police officers found Mr Foggerdy after tracking his footprints. He had been sitting under the same tree for two days. Mr Foggerdy was described as 'an experienced bushman' Superintendent Andy Greatwood said the 62-year-old was "extremely dehydrated" and "a bit delusional". "He's received treatment, first aid, on the ground and it's fair to say he's now sitting up and talking, so it's looking very positive," he told 720 ABC Perth. "His last couple of days of survival were achieved by lying down under a tree and eating black ants, so that's the level of survival that Mr Foggerdy has gone to. "[He had] no water whatsoever for six days." Mr Foggerdy had been on a hunting trip with his brother when he disappeared on 7 October near Laverton, some 600 miles (950km) northeast of Perth. He had left their campsite to hunt for a camel, but failed to return. An extensive land and air search was launched the next day, helped by volunteers and local mining and aircraft companies. Mr Foggerdy was discovered around 9 miles (15km) from the campsite and was airlifted to hospital. SHARE THIS POST

Switzerland Bans Volkswagon Cars Sales Over Emissions

Switzerland has banned the sale of Volkswagen cars caught up in the emissions scandal. The government's ruling affects diesel models containing "defeat devices" – software able to change the engine's performance and run cleaner during official testing. As well as VW models which fall under the "euro 5" emissions category, other brands in the company's group, such as Seat and Skoda, are affected. However, the ban has been restricted to vehicles which are yet to be sold or registered, meaning Swiss motorists who currently own an affected car will not need to take action. New VW cars with "euro 6" engines are also immune from the ban, as they contain an updated emissions system.

How to approach a lady no cheesy steps

Every woman — and I meanevery woman — has been privy to the horrible approach and the terrible hit-on; either men pretending to be something they’re not because they think it’s what women want, or men who are just trying way too hard. It’s a rough dating jungle out there, and while men seem to be taking a backseat, women seem to be taking the reigns and are going after the men they are interested in. They are turning the tables on men and approaching them, because more and more guys aren’t putting the effort in to approach women. It’s time to take back that gentlemanly honor of seeing a beautiful woman and knowing that you have to talk to her. When you see a beautiful girl, don’t sit back and wait for the universe to magically bring you two together to start a conversation. Seize the day and put yourself out there! Throw caution to the wind and if you see someone you like, give it your best shot and go for it. Going after someone you like, even with the chance of being rejected, is also a great life lesson to apply to other areas of your life. You gotta be in it to win it. When going for the approach, the best thing you can do is to walk with confidence. Women love a man who is confident and comfortable with who they are. The rest will take care of itself. Here are four suave ways to approach a cute girl. Just say “Hi” This sounds like the most obvious and almost dumb thing to even suggest, because it’s the logical thing to do, but men don’t always do this. This is a pre-opener sort of thing, and it breaks the ice a little. Whether she’s hanging out in a group with other women or standing in line at Starbucks, she will know that you are speaking to her and not approaching her with a question mid-sentence.Tweet SHARING IS CARING SHARE THIS POST

#10 most scary moments of life ...

#1Yes, it must be very scary for the penis who is not used to encountering something solid coming at him when he's on the "inside."

#2What most men think of marriage ... a trap they can't get out of it.

South African boxer dies immediiately after fight

South African fighter Mzwanele Kompolo has died after he was knocked out in the first round of a fight in Frere. Kompolo collapsed in the ring after being beaten by Siphenathi Qampi in the Eastern Cape and went into a coma. Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said: "It is indeed sad to hear of this news involving the passing of this young upcoming athlete." Another boxer, Australian David Browne,died on Tuesday after being knocked unconscious in a fight.

Facebook ranks Nigeria, Kenya top as most active mobile users

  Facebook has ranked Nigeria and Kenya as top among countries in Africa as the number one frontier for the medium in terms of mobile to like, share and oad contents on the social network.
  SHARING IS CARING,SHARE THIS POST

See building that looks exactly like couples having se_x

  This building in germany looks like couples having se_x, por n artiste came slamming at the building...

Nigerians Urged To Shun Acts Capable Of Promoting Disunity

  "Nigerians have been urged to shun acts capable of promoting disunity to enable the country overcome the present insecurity challenge facing the country. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Dr. Faosade Yemi-Esan gave the charge on Thursday, when the Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri paid her a courtesy visit with his management team. Yemi-Esan said Nigerians must ensure that information they pass across to the public are those that enhance national peace and unity in view of the critical time the country is in. According to her, unguided information flow is capable of escalating the present security challenge in the country and further polarise the fragile peace being enjoyed by the citizens. “We must make sure that information we pass are those that cause cohesion and not chaos. “We adults must take a cue from children in expressing our love for this country rather than emphasising tribal and religion preference which are causing unnecessary barriers because that is the only way we can move forward as a nation,” she said. The Permanent Secretary, who decried the Movement of NOA out of the ministry, promised to collaborate with NOA in every area of interest to propagate government policies and programmes that would enhance national development. “NOA was an integral part of the Ministry that was moved out unfortunately. That movement created gap between the work of the two organizations. “I believe that we should operate with synergy and not in silos. The Ministry will be ready to work with you in discharging your duties. “I don’t see reason why we cannot work together, since we are working for the same purpose. We will see how we can give some discounts because we don’t want to run NOA down. There must be synergy to avoid repetition.” She further encouraged NOA to put more of its jingles on the radio, since more Nigerians source their news from the radio. While urging NOA not to disregard other news media, the Permanent Secretary advised them to focus more on radio in information dissemination to reach majority of Nigerians. Earlier in his address, the Director General of the agency, Mr. Mike Omeri said they were in the ministry to seek closer synergy in the conduct of their official duties. The DG said the synergy became imperative because of the social and cultural environment the nation is into which requires that proper messaging about government policies and programmes are synchronized and made more credible and delivered on time to the people for them to take advantage of it and participate in the process of driving the governance process. “The vision of our founding fathers are geared towards making sure that we have one nation. We should identify with Nigeria as our nation of pride and a country of possibilities. We feel there is strength even in the name, Nigeria.” Omeri who lamented paucity of fund in the agency, said his administration had for the first time sent N124,000 to each LGA across the country in the past three years and not to states as reported in the media. He promised to leverage on the available resources to ensure that many citizens are engaged in promoting national cohesion, peace and dignity of labour. On anti-terrorism plans, Omeri said “We have agreed with the military to build more synergy, towards developing communication strategies for mobilization and sensitization, so that more people will support efforts that are been made to unite the country."

Google's driverless cars scare pedestrians in Texas

 By the looks of things, Google's self-driving
cars have been learning a lot in Austin, Texas.
In its first report since it began testing
autonomous vehicles in the city, the company
details the challenges its cars have had to face
while driving on its roads. For instance, they've
been spotting and avoiding a lot of deer, some
of which might have ended up as road kill if
they happened to come across ordinary
vehicles instead. The system also had to learn
to identify new infrastructure, such as
horizontal traffic signals. Google has learned,
however, that one of the major problems it
has to tackle is pedestrians stepping off the
curb onto the road while hidden by other
vehicles.
On August 20th, a Lexus unit was rear ended
after spotting a person starting to cross the
road. See, its human driver took over to make
sure he doesn't end up harming anyone, but it
turns out -- based on the footage of the
incident -- that the accident wouldn't have
happened if he just allowed the car to brake on
its own. Clearly, Google's doing what it can to
achieve its original goal of developing
autonomous vehicles that can drive better than
humans. In addition to discussing what it has
learned in Austin, Mountain View has also
revealed through the report that it's deploying
more of its egg-like prototype models in the
city this September.Google

WAEC releases results, with 39% pass in Eng/Maths

The West African Examinations Coincil, WAEC has released the May/June 2015 results and witholding the results of students in 13 states that are owing the Council. The Head of Nigerian Office, Mr Charles Eguridu who disclosed this at its Yaba Office said:”Out of 1,593,442 candidates who sat for the examinations, only 616,370 candidates, representing 38.68% obtained credits in five subjects and above including English Language and Mathematics.” Justifying the slight improvement in the results from previous years Eguridu said that in 2013, a total candidates who obtained five credits in English and Mathematics were 639,760 representing 38.30 per cent. He said, in 2014, 529,425 representing 31.28 per cent obtained five credits in English and Mathemstics.

Man Survives Being Struck By Lightning

 A man has survived being struck by a lightning bolt which entered his head and exited out of his back.

Ryan Cross, 34, was riding his bike during a camping trip with friends near Idaho City when a hailstorm swept in and lightning struck.

The father-of-two was taken to hospital where he was treated for bleeding in his brain. According to his wife Heather, he is now alert, eating and has even had the chance to walk.            

   Photos posted by his wife on Facebook show Mr Cross on his hospital bed with what appears to be a red streak down the front of his chest and a red mark on his back from the bolt.

She told newsmen: "They were riding, and it started raining and then all of a sudden it started hailing pretty heavily so they stopped.

"Ryan got off his four-wheeler went under a tree to protect himself from the hail, leaned up against a tree, was looking at a map on his phone, and that is when it all happened."

Two of Mr Cross’ friends were also hit by the lightning bolt.

8 Benefits of Drinking Water. #3 will surprise you

You would not think that many people would have to be told to drink water, especially considering that all of us would die after just a few days without water. We also get water from other sources such as our food, but many of these water sources are also very unhealthy. Drinking soda or sweetened juices is not the best way to stay hydrated. Gold old-fashioned water is the best way to stay hydrated, which is essential for many functions of the body, including waste elimination. Here is a closer look at some of the key of benefits of drinking sufficient quantities of water.

1. Headache Relief

Although this remedy certainly does not apply in every instance, when someone is dehydrated it can make them more prone to headaches. Staying hydrated will eliminate those kinds of headaches, which are notoriously common when one drinks a bit too much alcohol.

2. Clarity

No, not the clarity of the water itself. We’re talking about the ability to think clearly, focus, and concentrate better. The make-up of the brain includes a lot of water, and getting dehydrated can have an effect on your mental clarity.

3. Lose weight

It’s no secret to veteran dieters that drinking water can help shed the pounds. In addition to water’s ability to flush away body waste, including fat that is being eliminated, water can also help you feel full, which will help to keep you from grabbing snacks in between meals.

4. Stay Cool

Exercising is hard enough for many people without having to feel overheated while working out. Water will help regulate body temperature, meaning that you will probably be able to exercise more vigorously, and for a longer period of time.

5. Aid Digestion

Not getting enough water can result in digestive problems such as constipation. Stay hydrated to keep things moving the way they are supposed to.

6. Healthy Skin

In order for skin to look its best, moisture is vital. That’s no secret as evidenced by the myriad skin moisturizing products that are available. The water you drink has a direct impact on the level of moisture in your skin, and may do a lot more to make your skin look better than an expensive bottle of moisturizer.

7. Cramps

Muscle cramps are no fun, and those of us that have experienced bouts of leg cramps know just how painful that experience can be. Dehydration can contribute to cramps, helping to keep both muscles and joints well lubricated and less prone to cramps and spasms.

8. Detoxification

This is one of the primary benefits one is likely to think of with regard to water. Water provides the body with the medium that’s required to transport toxins from our cells and tissues, and flush them out of the body as waste. Not getting enough water could lead to a build-up for toxins in the body.

Posted by kenics and team

Astronomers Have Discovered Eight Potentially Habitable Planets

Astronomers have announced that they have
discovered eight more planets that likely exist
in temperature ranges where life could exist.
The astronomers began their research path by
examining candidates for planets that had
been identified by NASA’s Kepler mission .
The candidates were analyzed using a
supercomputer running algorithms at NASA’s
Ames facility.
After exploring the statistical likelihood of the
planets’ existence, the team followed up with
months of observations using a variety of
different methods. The planets are distant
enough, however, that their habitabiliy is still
only a likelihood, not a certainty.
“We don’t know for sure whether any of the
planets in our sample are truly habitable,”
researcher David Kipping said in a statement.
“All we can say is that they’re promising
candidates.”
The two most potentially Earth-like planets of
the group of eight are Kepler-438b and
Kepler-442b, both of which circle red dwarf
stars are are respectively 70% and 97% likely
to be in the habitable temperature zones of
their respective stars. However, it should be
noted that there are serious issues regarding
the potential habitability of planets circling
red dwarf stars , so confirmation will require
significantly more study.
In addition to nearly doubling the potential
number of habitable planets, this latest
discovery also helps astronomers in a different
milestone. NASA announced this week that
the Kepler mission has helped astronomers
verify the discovery of over 1,000 planets
outside of our solar system. The mission has
also uncovered over 4,000 planetary
candidates.
“Each result from the planet-hunting Kepler
mission’s treasure trove of data takes us
another step closer to answering the question
of whether we are alone in the Universe,”
NASA associate administrator John Grunsfeld
said in a press release . “The Kepler team and
its science community continue to produce
impressive results with the data from this
venerable explorer.”
The researchers’ findings will be published in
The Astrophysical Journal .
   Related post;‘A Great Moment’: Rover Finds Clue That Mars May
 Harbor Life

15 Secrets to Keeping Your New Year's Resolution (Or Any Goal)

It's that time of the year. The eggnog is
flowing, the party hats have been purchased,
and you're thinking about who you're going
to be kissing at midnight. Yes, it's just about
time for New Year's, 2015, and that means
one more thing: New Year's Resolutions.
New Year's resolutions are the goals you set
aggressively for yourself, only to fall off by
mid-January. I'm going to lose weight. I'm
going to exercise more. I'm going to network
more. I'm going to start that business. We've
all been there. The first, perhaps more
important step to actually achieving a goal is
to make it a SMART, metrics-driven goal. as I
wrote about last year at time time . But even
once you have a SMART, metrics-driven goal,
it's not easy to keep at it, day after day, and
week after week. In order to find out how
people do it, I asked successful members of
the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) , an
invite-only organization comprised of the
world’s most promising young entrepreneurs.
These are the 15 secrets they shared to
accomplishing your New Year's Resolution, or
any goal:
1. Make a Bet
It's easy to say
things you
"want to do,"
but when a bet
is placed on
your head for
following through, this outside motivation can
help you actually stick to the goals you set
for yourself. For a workout challenge I had
with my wife, my consequence for failing was
to rollerblade in a pink thong in South
Beach...Yes, a pink thong. I didn't fail.
– Chris Brisson , Co-Founder, Call Loop
2. Become
Accountable
It can be hard
to stick to a
resolution if
you go it alone,
whether it's a
business-focused goal or "hit the gym three
times a week." So get your significant other
or a friend to check in with you regularly.
That way you'll combine your own motivation
with not wanting to let someone else down,
and will hopefully stick to that resolution
throughout the year.
– Grant Gordon, President and CEO, Solomon
Consulting Group
3. Put It On
Your Calendar
I keep my New
Year's
resolutions by
thinking of
them a little
differently. Instead of a single yearly event, I
decide to make consistent changes and put
them on my calendar. For example, my 2006
New Year's resolution was to go to the gym
at least four times per week. I put it on my
calendar and I've been going to the gym for
the past eight years. In fact, now I'm up to
six times per week on average.
– Vladimir Gendelman, Founder and CEO,
Company Folders, Inc
4. Use the "Way of Life" App
I use the app
Way of Life to
keep track of
all of my daily
and weekly
goals. It's a
simple, intuitive
app that lets you track whether or not you've
met any given goal on any given day. The
only choices are green (success), red (failure)
or gray (skip). Over time, you can see graphs
and trends for each resolution or goal. It
adds accountability and a gamification
component to help keep you on track.
– Brittany Hodak , Co-founder, ZinePak
5. Put It In
Writing and
Post it Where
You will See It
I find the best
way to keep on
track with a
goal is to put it in writing and put it
somewhere you will see it. By having it right
in front of you, on a post it or on your smart
phone, you can easily keep yourself
accountable.
– Phil Laboon , President, Eyeflow Internet
Marketing
6. Assign it an Adjective
I love to make
my New Years
goals and
assign three to
four adjectives
that describe/
encompass the
way I want the year to look. So when it's
tough to remember each of the goals
specifically on a daily basis, it's easy to think
about these descriptors and how your life
would look/feel if those were true today. I
find this motivating to keep moving forward
in a positive direction.
– Darrah Brustein, Founder, Network Under
40 / Finance Whiz Kids
7. Go Public
Decide on what
you want to
change and tell
everyone. Tell
your friends,
family,
strangers and people you meet at the store.
The more you talk about it, the more others
are involved and know your goal, the easier it
will be to change.
– Bhavin Parikh, CEO and Co-founder ,
Magoosh Inc
8. Make
Commitments
Instead
I read a great
article about
commitments
by Chris
Freyteg. My favorite line was, “A resolution
may be the act of resolving or deciding on a
course of action, but a commitment can be
far stronger, because it’s a specific pledge,
promise or obligation.” The bottom line: Keep
it simple and you’ll actually be able to add it
your busy daily life.
– Nicole Smartt , Co-Owner/Vice President,
Star Staffing
9. Make It Easier Than Your Current Habit
People usually
pick the easiest
alternatives in
their day, so to
make your
resolution work,
make your new
task easier than an existing one. Want to eat
healthier? Throw away all the junk food in
your house and replace it with healthy snacks
and ban junk food in the house altogether.
Want to start running? Put your running
clothing by your bed each night so it is the
closest to you each morning.
– Charlie Graham , Founder & CEO , Shop It
To Me, Inc.
10. Have an
Incentive
I set myself
targets and
goals, and I
splurge/reward
myself after I
achieve them. That incentive motivates me to
not break my resolutions. On the other hand,
if I do break them I set punishments for
myself by taking something away. Make sure
that you're incentivized to keep on increasing
the positive feedback and canceling the
negative feedback.
– Ridaa Murad, Managing Partner, Christina
Ventures
11. Use the Streaks App
Streaks is an
app that helps
you create
habits. For
each of your
resolutions, you
can create a
calendar that allows you to "check" each day
that you do what you say you're going to do.
The goal is to maintain a streak. For
example, if you want to wake up by 6 a.m.
you would check each day that you achieve
that goal. The longer your streak, the more
likely you are to maintain that resolution.
– Natalie MacNeil, CEO, She Takes on the
World
12. Change
Your Internal
Vocabulary
I have a
strange diet
that is 90
percent meat
and vegetables (extremely low carb, low
fruit). The initial change was tough until I
changed my internal vocabulary from "I
shouldn't eat that pasta," to "I don't eat that"
or "that's not food for me." To me, they
aren't even food anymore and therefore
aren't tempting. This trick works with all
changes. "I don't sleep late," rather than "I
should get up now."
– Brennan White , Founder and CEO, Cortex
13. Get Down to Business
Treat your
resolution the
way you treat
your work.
Make plans, set
deadlines and
adhere to a
schedule. If you don’t meet your goals,
evaluate what went wrong and how you can
recover.
– Simon Casuto , Founder, eLearning Mind
14. Set Mini Goals
It's easy to set
a goal of to
lose weight or
stop smoking.
The problem is
our failure to
plan a linear
path on how to achieve that goal. Doing
something cold-turkey never works and sets
us on the path to failure. However, by
creating a linear path with small goals in
between, we can more easily keep our
internal drive going so we can achieve our
end result.
– Cody McLain, CEO, WireFuseMedia LLC
15. Have Calendar Alerts
Set calendar
alerts now to
remind you to
stay on track.
For some, that
may mean
scheduling your
workouts for 2015 now. For me, it means
setting alerts reminding me to send thank
you notes every week to people who have
gone above and beyond to support my
business.
– Alexis Wolfer, CEO, The Beauty Bean

‘A Great Moment’: Rover Finds Clue That Mars May Harbor Life

A year after reporting that NASA’s
Curiosity rover had found no evidence
of methane gas on Mars , all but
dashing hopes that organisms might
be living there now, scientists
reversed themselves on Tuesday.
Curiosity has now recorded a burst of
methane that lasted at least two
months.
For now, scientists have just two
possible explanations for the methane.
One is that it is the waste product of
certain living microbes

The scientists also reported that for
the first time, they had confirmed the
presence of carbon-based organic
molecules in a rock sample. The so-
called organics are not direct signs of
life, past or present, but they lend
weight to the possibility that Mars had
the ingredients required for life, and
may even still have them.
“This is really a great moment for the
mission,” Dr. Grotzinger told a news
conference here at the fall meeting of
the American Geophysical Union.
The presence of methane is significant
because the gas cannot exist for long.
Calculations indicate that sunlight and
chemical reactions in the Martian
atmosphere would break up the
molecules within a few hundred years,
so any methane there now must have
been created recently.
It could have been created by a
geological process known as
serpentinization, which requires both
heat and liquid water. Or it could be a
product of life in the form of microbes
known as methanogens, which release
methane as a waste product.
Even if the explanation for the
methane turns out to be geological, the
hydrothermal systems would still be
prime locations to search for signs of
life.
Scientists have always expected that
some tiny amount of methane would
be found on Mars. Cosmic dust falling
on the planet contains organic
compounds that are broken up by
ultraviolet light from the sun,
producing methane.
But the new findings, which are
described in detail in a paper this
week in the journal Science, are a 180-
degree flip from a year ago, when
mission scientists said that Curiosity
had found no signs of methane,
placing an upper limit of 1.3 parts per
billion by volume.
Since then, the scientists refined their
measurements, detecting a
background level of 0.7 parts per
billion. That is half of what was
predicted, raising another mystery
that somehow methane is also being
destroyed.
But in November 2013, two months
after the scientists reported the
absence of methane on Mars, the
rover measured methane levels 10
times as high. “It was an ‘oh my gosh’
moment,” said Christopher R. Webster
of the NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, the lead author of the
Science paper.
The methane levels stayed high
through at least the end of January.
They subsequently fell, to less than
one part per billion.
An earlier measurement in July had
also been high, although it dropped by
half a week later, and the margin of
error made it unclear what was going
on. Curiosity made no methane
measurements between July and
November 2013.
Sushil K. Atreya of the University of
Michigan, a member of the science
team, said it was possible that elevated
methane levels lasted from July
through January. “It could have been
over six months,” he said, “but we
don’t know that.”
Given its quick appearance and quick
disappearance, the newly discovered
methane was a relatively small burst,
mission scientists suspect.
A decade ago, three teams of scientists
reported that they had detected
methane in the Martian atmosphere —
two using observations from Earth ,
one using the European Space
Agency’s Mars Express orbiter.
All of the measurements were at the
edge of the instruments’ capabilities,
and the methane appeared to
disappear two years later. If true, that
meant not only that was something
creating methane on Mars, but also
that something else was quickly
destroying it.
Many Mars scientists decided that a
simpler solution to the methane
mystery was that the measurements
were mistaken, a conclusion bolstered
by the absence reported by the
Curiosity team last year.
Now, Dr. Grotzinger said, “It’s back on
the table.”
Michael J. Mumma of NASA’s Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.,
who led one of the teams that reported
much larger methane plumes in the
Mars atmosphere in 2003 based on
measurements from Earth — and has
found no methane since 2005 — said
the new data was “pleasant” after
years of doubts from critics.
The new Curiosity measurements
“confirmed this startling reality that
methane is being released,
sporadically, and it is being destroyed
quickly,” he said. “Both events are
surprising.”
As for the organic molecules, they
showed up in a mudstone nicknamed
Cumberland that Curiosity drilled in
May 2013.
Within Curiosity is a miniature
chemistry laboratory that detected
significant amounts of the organic
molecule chlorobenzene, in much
higher concentrations than had been
seen in other rocks it had examined.
Scientists spent months analyzing
whether the organic compounds came
from Cumberland or contamination
Curiosity had brought from Earth.
“You don’t want to be faked out,” Dr.
Grotzinger said.
The scientists are still unsure whether
Cumberland contained chlorobenzene,
which is not a naturally occurring
compound on Earth, or if that was the
end product of chemical reactions
involving other organic molecules in
the rock as it was heated. But they
convinced themselves that the organic
carbon is Martian.
“In part, Curiosity was built to explore
for organics,” Dr. Grotzinger said,
“and we found them.”

Posted by kenics and team

Posted by kenics and team