NASA team cites new evidence that meteorites from Mars contain ancient fossils

We feel more confident than ever that Mars probably once was, and maybe still is, home to life," team leader David McKay said at a NASA-sponsored conference on astrobiology.

Remember that meteorite from Mars that appeared to have fosssilized microbial life?

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NASA team cites new evidence that meteorites from Mars contain ancient fossils

NASA's Mars Meteorite Research Team reopened a 14-year-old controversy on extraterrestrial life last week, reaffirming and offering support for its widely challenged assertion that a 4-billion-year-old meteorite that landed thousands of years ago on Antarctica shows evidence of microscopic life on Mars.

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In addition to presenting research that they said disproved some of their critics, the scientists reported that additional Martian meteorites appear to house distinct and identifiable microbial fossils that point even more strongly to the existence of life.

Things seem to be building up to an announcement of life on Mars lately. I know this is an old fossil, but the re-opening of the case with more compelling evidence goes along with the current rhetoric of possible microbial life on Mars.

This meteorite is from 4 billion years ago... That is ALOT of time for bacteria to evolve to something meaningful

I expect an announcement soon

-E-

[edit on 6-5-2010 by MysterE]

If they do have evidence, which it quite possible, I really don't see the harm in disclosing it to the public. Don't get me wrong, it is a big deal, but many other "big deals" happen around the globe and are quickly shrugged off by the masses.

I suppose it would bring up huge debates on the origins of life here on Earth, among other things, but certainly nothing that hasn't already been discussed as possibility.

Were talking about evidence of microscopic fossils, not intelligent beings or UFO's.

Wow , Now theres a turn up for the books.
I knew that this day would happen. No suprise what so ever.
Suprised it actually took so long

Great minds, E - I was going to look that up this morning after last night watching DVR of "Ancient Aliens". Somewhere in one of the first 2 episodes, they discussed this martian meteorite (this is the one tested in 1996, right?) and stated the microbial presence in it as fact, based on re-testing done in 2003. I thought that was a bit of a jump since it was never to my knowledge officially confirmed.

The show used it to defend some sort of "Intentional" or "Directed" dispersal of life throughout the galaxy hypoth.

So that question is answered. Cool.

And the source being so CLOSE!

The implications for what else is out there.

Wow. Just wow.

CDS

no surprise

billions of stars in our own galaxy, billions of galaxies

planets around stars ... I mean

you need to be a crazy #%¨Y#@ to think that we are the only ones ...

but this dont prove anything about directed seed of life in my opinion

it just proves that life may have come from mars ...

This is a meteorite from Mars that was found in Antarctica. I can just see the NASA spin now.

"Well this meteorite came from Mars yes, but its origin was from Earth this is why there is seemingly microbial evidence of life on Mars. This sample ended up on Mars originally in the same way it ended up back on Earth."

Sounds like a typical NASA response anyway

Originally posted by samureyed
Were talking about evidence of microscopic fossils, not intelligent beings or UFO's.

O.k. do understand how life was created on Earth you might need a refresher

www.space.com...

Seriously narrow minded people as yourself should not comment just to fall under ridicule. As well if it wasn't for microscopic organism's in the beginning of Earth's history you wouldn't be wasting air at this moment.

reply to post by QuestionTheGovernment

Yes, because the debate for how life on Earth started has been proven and concluded

No one knows the origin of life, and the real truth is that we probably never will. All we have is conjecture, which is meaningless other than to swindle gullible people to divert funding to their theories and keep them employed. Nothing on that space.com "article" is true. It's just someone's guess.

@#$%, I mean life happens. its probably in the oceans of Europa too. I'm sick to death of the bickering between scientists and the mania of some UFO-ers. there need to be a common ground

all we need to do is verify that microbial life exists outside of Earth and move on. whats the big deal?

I think this would be an ideal way to gently introduce people to the concept of non terrestrial life. The idea of some microbes existing millions of years ago shouldn't be too threatening for most people. Who knows what discoveries would come next? It's a bit frustrating that they are not confirming their findings 100% at the moment.

Originally posted by DrHammondStoat
I think this would be an ideal way to gently introduce people to the concept of non terrestrial life. The idea of some microbes existing millions of years ago shouldn't be too threatening for most people. Who knows what discoveries would come next? It's a bit frustrating that they are not confirming their findings 100% at the moment.

I couldn't agree with you more!

-E-

Originally posted by QuestionTheGovernment

Originally posted by samureyed
Were talking about evidence of microscopic fossils, not intelligent beings or UFO's.

O.k. do understand how life was created on Earth you might need a refresher

www.space.com...

Seriously narrow minded people as yourself should not comment just to fall under ridicule. As well if it wasn't for microscopic organism's in the beginning of Earth's history you wouldn't be wasting air at this moment.

what?

I said it is a big deal, but that if disclosed to the public it would not cause fear, riots or panic among the masses IMO but simply be brushed off over time like every other big deal. In other words, if they do have evidence of fossilized microbial life, I don't understand why they would hide it from the public at this day and age.

I am well aware of the theories for the origins of life.

Bout time they figured this one out. But i guess we have all known this for a while now

Hex...maybe if the budget crunch could have hit a little sooner, we might have had much more tangible evidence by now. Sure is funny how when the cash stops flowing, the info starts...just my thought. But in all fairness, any info is one step closer.

So being that this is May 6th and all, is this the Disclosure that was supposed to happen?

bahhh 2nd

[edit on 5/6/2010 by UberL33t]

reply to post by Hocus-Focus


I hadn't thought about that until you just mentioned it. Do you think they have been sitting on the data and are releasing it now to try and justify a larger budget in the future?

Sounds very plausable to me, and if that is indeed the case, what else are they sitting on???

-E-

reply to post by UberL33t


Was there supposed to be some form of disclosure on the 6th?

-E-

Okay I understand the concept of panspermia and all that. But how the heck do they know this meteorite came from Mars?? What happened, did a chunk of Mars just jump off the planet and hurtle towards Earth?

Great find

I still believe this is "cross contamination" from Earth - they are finding that bacteria can live at higher climates, deeper depths etc. Even in the past 20 years the places where life can be found has expanded enormously.

This wouldn't make the result any less credible/amazing.

Interestingly NASA has fired a number of rockets to Mars and they only mention a meteorite. Have they found something from one of the satellites/Mars landers?

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
Okay I understand the concept of panspermia and all that. But how the heck do they know this meteorite came from Mars?? What happened, did a chunk of Mars just jump off the planet and hurtle towards Earth?

I'm guessing here, but it doesn't seem much of a stretch to think that they matched the composition of the meteorite to spectrographic data obtained by one of the Mars rovers. As for the chunk getting here, an impact from a large asteroid kicks up a huge cloud of debris, some of which is expelled with enough velocity to escape Mars' gravitational pull and one of these big chunks makes it here, gets whittled down by being burnt up in our atmosphere and we end up with the little chunk. Plausible?

Whoever said that intelligence was needed for extra-terrestrial life to engage in space travel?