![PDF version PDF version](https://www.americangeosciences.org/sites/all/modules/print/print_pdf/icons/pdf_icon.png)
What is the lifespan of a natural gas deposit? How quickly is our planet's permafrost melting? And does life exist on other planets? Although seemingly unrelated issues, the answers to these questions are linked. And in this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, scientists show that we may be closer to answering them than we think.