[meteorite-list] Clue to Life in Thar Meteorite Rain

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Jul 10 22:42:35 2005
Message-ID: <200507110241.j6B2flC00788_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=74183

Clue to life in Thar meteorite rain
SANDIPAN SHARMA
The Sunday Express (India)
July 10, 2005
Send Feedback

JAIPUR, JULY 9: Geologists in Rajasthan are baffled by large meteorites
falling on western Rajasthan at regular intervals over the past few years.

Scientists struggling to identify the cause of this celestial shower,
have found the presence of amino acids and other life-supporting organic
compounds in the meteorites, which has led to an interesting hypothesis:
Life could have originated outside earth.

Since 1995, at least 10 meteorites have fallen on various villages in
western Rajasthan. The number could be more as many such incidents go
unreported.

"This is strange. Generally, chances of a meteorite falling in an area
is once in 2000 years," says Prof B S Paliwal, head, Department of
Geology, Jodhpur University. Also, the meteorites usually fall around
the equator. The regular fall in Thar is thus unexplained.

The first such fall was reported in 1994. The meteorites usually fall
between April-July. "Perhaps this is the time when these bodies come
into earth's sphere of attraction and fall on this region because of its
position at that time. This is a theory that needs to be analysed," says
Dr M S Sisodia, a geologist at Jodhpur University, who has been studying
the phenomenon.

"It may sound funny but there are possibilities that life may have
originated on some other planet like Mars," says Dr Sisodia, who
presented a paper on the subject at NASA.
Received on Sun 10 Jul 2005 10:41:46 PM PDT