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A Hoax Involving Orgueil?

Hello Eveyone,

In the second edition of Harry McSween's Meteorites and Their Parent Planets, 
McSween briefly (perhaps too briefly) reviews claims of past researchers of 
microfossils and "organized elements" in carbonaceous chondrites as being 
evidence for biological in origin.  McSween goes on to state that 
essentially, terrestrial contamination appears to account more parsimoniously 
for the laboratory results but on page 74 he states "At least one example in 
the Orgueil (France) meteorite appears to have been an elaborate hoax."

I am unfamiliar with this "hoax" which by definition indicates a deliberate 
attempt to misrepresent or otherwise falsify data.  This is very different 
from simply different scientists interpreting the same data in different ways 
or an otherwise well intentioned experimenter not controlling for different 
independent variables (e.g., terrestrial contamination).  I mean, a hoax is a 
hoax!

Does anyone know the particulars surrounding this hoax?  Who were the 
participants and how did they attempt to pull off the hoax?  When did it 
occur?  How was the hoax revealed?  Burke (1986) goes into a much more in 
depth literature review of the analysis of organic matter as evidence for 
fossil organisms in meteorites as well as terrestrial contamination 
interpretations (particularly pages 312-315) but he does not mention anything 
about a "hoax."

Any information would be appreciated.  As well, if anyone has Dr. McSween's 
email address at the University of Tennessee please send it to me.

BTW, if you have no read it, McSween's book is highly recommended.  Very 
readable and almost conversational at times.  Burke (Cosmic Debris:  
Meteorites in History, 1986) is also highly recommended for a more scholarly 
approach to the history of meteorites.


Regards,

-Walter Branch

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