Does Mars smell like farts?
Methane is known for smelling like farts, but it’s actually odorless. The type that fuels our stove burners is artificially scented so we can detect leaks easily. Nevertheless, serving as fuel for humans is not the gas’s most important quality.
Since it’s a common by-product of life, its presence may be a sign that a planet can sustain it. You can understand the researcher’s excitement when the gas was detected on Mars. However, it can also be created through non-biological processes.
