Brain Quakes

We live in a cool age of ever expanding understanding of the physical and biological processes around us. We hear of new theories and ideas about all sorts of things nearly every week. I just read an article over at Space.com that suggests all the stuff we've learned about how oil and methane gas are produced, by the decay of ancient biological matter, are wrong. The theory also suggests that there's a giant microbial biosphere deep underground that lives off of and produces these products.

This theory is being applied to explain processes not only on Earth but on Mars as well. Recent measurements of the Martian atmosphere indicate a level of Methane present that cannot be explained by simple Martian volcanic activity. Some scientists are suggesting that microbial life deep underground on Mars is the source of this gas.

I want these theories to be true. Not just because knowing there's life on Mars would be cool, or that thinking about this new biosphere living in dark fissures of the earth feeding on methane and or oil is kind of bizarre. I like the experience of the fundamental brain quake associated with paradigm shifts. News like this is like crack for nerds.