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Possible Microfossils Found in Murchison
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- Subject: Possible Microfossils Found in Murchison
- From: Ron Baalke <BAALKE@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>
- Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 4:30:24 GMT
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POSSIBLE MICROFOSSILS FOUND IN MURCHISON METEORITE
At the SPIE conference being held at San Diego this week,
Richard Hoover from Marshall Space Flight Center will be presenting a paper
claiming he has found possible microfossils in the Murchison meteorite.
Murchison is a CM2 (carbonaceous chondrite meteorite) that fell in Australia
in 1969. It is interesting to note that Murchison is a non-Martian
meteorite. Richard Hoover is the chairman of the "Instruments, Methods
and Missions for the Investigation of Extraterrestrial Microorganisms" program
at the SPIE conference.
Below is the abstract of Hoover's paper.
I'll be attending the SPIE conference, and I'll let you know how
it goes.
Ron Baalke
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Meteorites, Microfossils, and Exobiology
Richard B. Hoover
Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama
The discovery of possible evidence of biogenic activity and putative
microfossils in the SNC meteorite ALH84001 has profound implications.
The existence of complex organic chemicals, biomarkers and possible
nanofossils or microfossils in ALH84001 may result in a paradigm shift
concerning attitudes relevant to the possibility of extraterrestrial
microbial life. Much research by many groups is currently underway
to obtain additional data on biomarkers, chemical fossils, and
nanofossils in this and other SNC meteorites. These results strongly
reveal the need for more in depth examination of prior results and
future studies of SNC meteorites and carbonaceous chondrites. New
methods are also being explored to understand an minimize the effects
of terrestrial background and to obtain more definitive proof of
extant or ancient extraterrestrial microbial life. This paper will
review prior observations of possible biogenic chemicals and microfossils
in meteorites. Images of possible nannofossils and microfossils that
have been recently obtained with the Field Emission and Environmental
Scanning Electron Microsopes on uncoated, freshly broken, interior
surfaces of the Murchison CM2 carbonaceous chondrite will be presented.
Some of the exobiological and exopaleontological implications of
recent discoveries concerning terrestrial extremophiles will be considered.