[meteorite-list] Cyanobacteria in meteorites?

From: Ted Bunch <tbear1_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:02:37 -0700
Message-ID: <C8958CFD.1426A%tbear1_at_cableone.net>

Dear Darren and Eric - having worked on ALH 84001 years ago and having been
involved in research/management of the NASA -AMES Exobiology Program, I am a
skeptic of fossil life in 84001 or any other Martian meteorite recovered to
date. However, the finding of water on Mars and the recent discovery of
methane does give promise. We know that Mars had water "oceans" at one time,
although we do not know how long the water reservoirs were available to
promote simple life. It took 100s of millions of years to accomplish that
feat on Earth in the form of cyanobacteria, about 3.5 billion years ago.

The main problem with "fossil life" in carbonaceous chondrites is
contamination. With respect to Orgueil and contamination, Paul Pellas told
me a long time ago that most of the museum's Orgueil collection had been
stored haphazardly in boxes in the same drawer with various French coal
samples - not good. Even though Murchison is a fall, there may have been
sufficient time for the transfer of cyanobacteria or other simple organisms
in the soil to nutrient-rich, water-bearing Murchison specimens.

The best sample for fossil life study could be Tagish Lake - those samples
that were immediately collected and carefully treated to avoid most forms of
contaminates.

My bottom line is that meteorites are a poor harborer of life in any case.

Ted


On 8/21/10 2:02 PM, "Darren Garrison" <cynapse at charter.net> wrote:

> On Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:25:30 -0700, you wrote:
>>
>> I'm curious how many of us "meteorite addicts" are actually believers in
>> extraterrestrial life, or at the very least are open to the possibility.
>
> Anyone who is not "open to the possibility of exterrestrial life"-- meaning
> anyone who is convinced that the only POSSIBLE life in the entire universe is
> that on Earth-- is an effing nitwit.
>
> Having said that, I'm agnostic on fossils in Martian meteorites and am not
> even
> close to beginning to swallow fossils in carbonaceous chondrites.
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Received on Sat 21 Aug 2010 05:02:37 PM PDT