Claim: Meteorite discovered with signs of life in it

It's really an odd thing to be skeptical of.
Not unlike a religious viewpoint.

Waiting for absolute undeniable proof of microbes
embedded in meteorites?
Most likely many examples have been staring right at us.
I know it's protocol but scientists are numbers buffs and without a
mathmatical doubt the universe is overflowing with life.

To say we'll wait for the ridiculously vetted results gone over again and again
before we agree to life outside this planet is silly rigor.
Yes I know that's the way science works, (or doesn't )
But this 'nope...not true till We say so' when they could say "Probably"
is about as dense as a meteorite.

I'll take my lashings now.

Our knowledge of the universe is slight. We struggle with the far-from-perfect tools of science to rigorously prove what we strongly suspect, and hope, to be true: That the whole universe is the domain of life.

Originally posted by Ross 54 He apparently ignored the finding that the diatoms were fossilized, which, of course, would not be expected if organisms from Earth had contaminated the meteorite in the few days between its falling and its being found.

It would, however, fit perfectly if this is not a recent meteor, or not one at all.

Second line.

Dr. Wickramasinghe has recently responded to questions and criticisms about his his claim to have found fossil diatoms in a recently fallen meteorite. He reports that tests were made to determine the meteoric nature of the object, and that the results of these will be published. It is generally possible to determine if a particular meteorite is a recently fallen one. Sometimes this is as simple as locating it soon after a meteor is seen falling along an established path or into a particular area. The meteorite may be found lying conspicuously in a well frequented area, where it was not seen before. In this particular case, at least several objects, apparently meteorites, were found in farmer's fields. Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...

The asteroid belt behind Earth in the Solar System used to be a Planet.

There could have been life there until something smashed it. That meteorite could be a rock from that former planet.

reply to post by Ross 54


The problem I see here is that this entire find, and subsequent handling, of the meteorite seems dubious at best. Why weren't the meteoric analysees published with the original article? Why isn't there any documentation of EXACTLY WHERE the meteorite was found?

I guess we will just have to wait and see, but for now the claim alien life has been found is quite simply false


ETA: If proven true, the first thing I would like to see is a recalibration of Drake's Equation.

Originally posted by JayinAR
reply to post by Ross 54

 

The problem I see here is that this entire find, and subsequent handling, of the meteorite seems dubious at best. Why weren't the meteoric analysees published with the original article? Why isn't there any documentation of EXACTLY WHERE the meteorite was found?

I guess we will just have to wait and see, but for now the claim alien life has been found is quite simply false


ETA: If proven true, the first thing I would like to see is a recalibration of Drake's Equation.

edit on 19-1-2013 by JayinAR because: (no reason given)

I am very interested in the provenance as well as the lat/long of the find. Surely someone captured that information.

Re: Drake's Equation, nothing would change, since all the variables remain unknown, except that life bearing planets still = 1. Drake's Equation is nothing more than a thought device, since it really has no mathematical rigor. It's ultimately useless except to provide a conversation starting point.

Cheers!

reply to post by LetsGoViking


It would change the Fi variable and bring it close to 1.
We need to find life developing somewhere, anywhere independantly of our home planet before the equation become anything more than, as you said, a conversational piece. As it is now, though, I agree. It is useless.

Sorry, I need officiality when it comes to this photo...could be a photo of any diatom, from any time and place...on earth.

In the article, linked below, we read that Dr. Wickramasinghe intended to fly to Sri Lanka, to gather more information about the Polannaruwa meteorite, over the weekend of Jan. 19--20. He explains a bit why he believes the object is a meteorite, albeit an unusual one, and where he believes it may have originated. Also included is an interesting quote from Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Sir Arthur seems to have thought that Hoyle and Wickramasinghe may just have been right in their panspermia hypothesis I recall another famous quote of Clarke's, to the effect that when an elderly scientist says some thing is impossible, he is probably wrong, and that when he says some is, or could be so, he is usually right. Ironically, this might now apply to Sir Arthur himself, and just maybe to Wickramasinghe, too. Link: www.lankaweb.com...

The article linked below gives new and interesting details about the Polannaruwa meteorite. It is reported that the object was smoking when found, and still hot enough to burn the hands of those who tried to collect the fragments. Dr. Wickramasinghe explains that the object was determined to have the correct proportion of carbon to identify it as a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite. He adds that he intends to do more tests on the specimen he has, and will submit his results to a recognized, peer-reviewed scientific journal, in the near future. www.dailymail.co.uk... o=feeds-newsxml

Some writers and publications have taken to charging, or repeating the charge, that Dr. Wickramasinghe is a 'fringe scientist'. The context of these remarks makes it clear that the intent is critical and dismissive. They are not describing or commending his work on the edge of what is known, seeking to expand scientific knowledge. I thought it might be interesting to look up the doctor's curriculum vitae, resume, honors, publications and accomplishments. Below is a link to a summary of this impressive lifetime of scientific endeavor: www.buckingham.ac.uk...