Does oil regenerate?

Our reader Bill sent us a link to an interesting article discussing the possibility of oil regeneration on a timetable far shorter than what is currently thought. The idea is that methane bubbling up from the mantle hits pockets of superheated steam, resulting in condensing hydrocarbons. It's a controversial theory from a controversial source. A bit of research turned up what I feel to be a slightly more balanced exploration of the topic (hit the Read link below). The conclusion? It's impossible at this time to disprove the theory, but there is certainly no preponderance of the evidence supporting the idea that oil is regenerating itself. What does become clear is that our knowledge of the earth's geology literally only scratches the surface, and correspondingly limits the information we have on the origins and the future of petroleum. In other words, don't go trading in your econobox for a big-block Suburban just yet.