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Murchison/Allende article

Hello Tom and List,

This whole area of research is now the focus of NASA's new and expanded
Astrobiology program.

The link references work by Robert Folk, University of Texas.  He is
indirectly responsible for the NASA investigation into possible fossils
within ALH84001.  Folk is a sedimentary geologist who has been studying
aragonite deposits at European hot springs for decades - and recently found
nanofossils of thermophile bacteria.

Chris Romanek went to one of Folk's lectures on nanobacteria and nanofossils
and got the idea of looking for nanofossils in Martian meteorites.  Romanek
approached Dave McKay with the idea who sold it to Wes Huntress, NASA's
Chief Scientist, as a NASA research project.   McKay led the NASA/Standford
research team that included Romanek and many others (Kathy Thomas-Keperta,
Richard Zare, et al).

This is a very credible avenue of research that would have been considered
scientific heresy only 20 or 30 years ago.

I wish NASA would do periodic posts to this list on the meteorite
astrobilogy program much like Ron keeps us posted on JPL events.

Regards,
Steve


********************************
Steven Excell
Paragon
1100 Olive Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98101-1839
Phone: 206-621-1300
Fax:     206-621-1158
E-Mail: excell@concentric.net
********************************
Tom's recommended link is at:  http://www.pansp ermia.org/hoover.htm



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