APOD: Early Microscopic Life On Mars? (1996 Aug 07)

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orin stepanek
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APOD: Early Microscopic Life On Mars? (1996 Aug 07)

Post by orin stepanek » Sun Jan 03, 2010 5:14 pm

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960807.html

Explanation: Today a team of NASA and Stanford scientists announced the discovery of strong circumstantial evidence that microscopic life once existed on Mars. Dr. David McKay, Dr. Everett Gibson, and Kathie Thomas-Keprta of Lockheed-Martin, all from (NASA /JSC), and Dr. Richard Zare (Stanford) have led a team that has found chemical evidence for past life on Mars - including what they interpret as possible microscopic fossil remains (tube-like structures pictured above) - in a meteorite thought to have originated on Mars. A small fraction of the many meteorites that fall to Earth from space have composition similar to the Martian surface. Many scientists believe that these meteorites are indeed Martian rocks that have been catapulted into space during a catastrophic event on Mars, such as an asteroid impact. The escaped rocks would then circle the inner Solar System, some of them falling to Earth. The meteorite containing the evidence landed on Earth 13,000 years ago, but may indicate a life-form that existed on Mars billions of years ago. The team's findings will be published in the August 16 issue of Science Magazine. Even skeptical scientists look forward to future research confirming or refuting these exciting claims.

Does anybody recall whether these tube-like structures are indeed were microscopic fossil remains. :?
Orin

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Re: Early Microscopic Life On Mars? (Aug 7 1996)

Post by Redbone » Sun Jan 03, 2010 5:47 pm

I believe that they were shown to be inorganic in origin. As I recall, they were some sort of naturally occuring crystaline structure or, perhaps, carbon nanotubes.

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Re: Early Microscopic Life On Mars? (Aug 7 1996)

Post by bystander » Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:03 pm


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neufer
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Re: Early Microscopic Life On Mars? (Aug 7 1996)

Post by neufer » Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:13 pm

bystander wrote:NASA ALH84001 Meteorite Summary - 2005 Oct 28
It's a mystery.

Image
Art Neuendorffer

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orin stepanek
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Re: Early Microscopic Life On Mars? (Aug 7 1996)

Post by orin stepanek » Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:39 pm

After reading bystander's post; I gather that the findings lead toward the positive, though not absolute proof. 8-)
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Re: APOD: Early Microscopic Life On Mars? (1996 Aug 07)

Post by Beyond » Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:22 pm

I didn't know they had a travelling museum.
To find the Truth, you must go Beyond.

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