[meteorite-list] High Levels of Formic Acid in Tagish Lake

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:32:32 -0400
Message-ID: <e51421550906300632y675bd15bubf87c726b41a441_at_mail.gmail.com>

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28594


Space rock yields answers about origins of life on Earth

PRESS RELEASE
Date Released: Saturday, June 27, 2009
Source: University of British Columbia

Edmonton-Formic acid, a compound implicated in the origins of life,
has been found at record levels on a meteorite that fell onto a frozen
Canadian lake in 2000.

Chris Herd, a professor in the University of Alberta's Department of
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and curator of the university's
meteorite collection, presented his research findings at the 2009
American Geophysical Union joint assembly in Toronto at the end of
May.

Herd conducted his analysis on the Tagish Lake Meteorite, which he has
described as being possibly the "most important rock that's ever been
found anywhere on the Earth."
The U of A scientist found levels of formic acid that were four times
higher than had previously been recorded on a meteorite. Formic acid
is one of a group of compounds dubbed "organics" because they are rich
in carbon. This compound is also commonly associated with ants and
bees because of its presence in their venom.

Herd said the delivery of formic acid and other carboxylic acids to
the early Earth by meteorites like the one that fell on Tagish Lake in
northern British Columbia would have provided the components needed
for life, especially the fatty acids that are an important part of
cell walls.

He said the ultimate source of formic acid may be interstellar space
as this and related compounds have been observed astronomically in
cold, molecular clouds as well as in comets.

The Tagish Lake meteorite fell on the frozen surface of a northern
B.C. lake in the middle of January and was collected without being
touched by human hands. It represents the most pristine sample of
minerals from outer space. Samples of the meteorite, totalling 850
grams, were collected from Tagish Lake and purchased in 2006 by a
research consortium that included the University of Alberta.

"We are lucky that the meteorite was untouched by humans hands,
avoiding contamination by organic compounds that we have on our
fingers," said Herd. "This meteorite can tell us new information about
the birth and evolution of our solar system, and the very fact that
it's been kept frozen, essentially pristine, uncontaminated by human
hands, gives us an unprecedented opportunity to explore new scientific
avenues that were heretofore impossible.

"We can do things with this meteorite that nobody's ever done before."

-- 
.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
..........................................................

Received on Tue 30 Jun 2009 09:32:32 AM PDT