Space boffins assume tiny cows might be hiding underneath the floor of Mars

Space boffins haven’t ruled out that the discovery of methane on Mars is due to tiny cows hiding under the surface.

The bizarre claim came during a discussion about where the gas discovered by the Curisity rover on the red planet could have come from.

Chris Lintott, Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford University, when talking to astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger, of Cornell University, said: “Mars is next door. The Curiosity rover has picked up these burps of methane that seem to come from under the surface and occasionally drives through them. “

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Asked by Kaltnegger if the methane could be subterranean cows, Lintott said: “It could – small ones.”

But Kaltenegger said there could be thousands of explanations for the methane, including geological and not life-related.

She said: “We find a signal, methane, and then everybody wishes for it to be life. Me too, hopefully the signs of methane on Mars are life. Yes, I wish for it to be life, but as a scientifically trained person I take my wishes out and I’m like ‘Are there explanations?’ and unfortunately we have thousands of explanations that are geological, and then we have tiny cows.”

Lintott said: “That’s not saying that it’s not cows, it’s saying that there are loads of other explanations as well, which I agree with – so it could be geology, or some heating or some chemistry.”

Kaltenegger said: “I would go with you with methane-producing bacteria, but small cows?”

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