[meteorite-list] Re: Fossils Found In Murchison Meteorite

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:37:36 2004
Message-ID: <200012201612.IAA17730_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

>
> I made a quick research on the MSFC site and did not found any paper written
> by Dr Richard Hoover about the Murchison Meteorite. Could you tell me where
> I can find the July 1997 annoucement.
>

He presented his paper at the 1997 SPIE conference, and the paper is
in the SPIE proceedings. I just happen to still have the abstract
to Hoover's paper:

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.
Received on Wed 20 Dec 2000 11:12:18 AM PST