NASA astrobiologist thinks he's found extraterrestrial fossils

[YellowSubmarine]

Fossils of Cyanobacteria in CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorites

Dr. Hoover has discovered evidence of microfossils similar to Cyanobacteria, in freshly fractured slices of the interior surfaces of the Alais, Ivuna, and Orgueil CI1 carbonaceous meteorites. Based on Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and other measures, Dr. Hoover has concluded they are indigenous to these meteors and are similar to trichomic cyanobacteria and other trichomic prokaryotes such as filamentous sulfur bacteria. He concludes these fossilized bacteria are not Earthly contaminants but are the fossilized remains of living organisms which lived in the parent bodies of these meteors, e.g. comets, moons, and other astral bodies. The implications are that life is everywhere, and that life on Earth may have come from other planets. Members of the Scientific community were invited to analyze the results and to write critical commentaries or to speculate about the implications. These commentaries will be published on March 7 through March 10, 2011.

While I have a feeling that it will soon be discovered that the “fossils” have non-biological origin, if a respected scientist is excited about it, I'm excited too. If he turns out to be correct, it would be our first evidence showing that life is widespread throughout the universe.

 

[KJbushway]

Thats no surprise. We have known and found before the same thing. But just as a bit of advice- I would change the title to bacterial fossils. You get someones hope when theres no need to.

 

[Bill Morris]

Interesting, but two simpler possibilities come to mind: (1) Hundreds of millions of years ago, when life on Earth was very different from anything today, an asteroid strike sent bacterium-bearing rocks into space, and some of those rocks might have made it to other parts of the solar system and survived and evolved, some examples of which got knocked back to Earth by another asteroid strike. (2) The simpler scenario is that those original rocks hurled into space could have simply landed back on Earth after many years in space (during which time the bacteria died but with their remains well preserved), in which case what he found actually originated on Earth, just containing examples of very ancient Earth bacteria vastly different from life today.

Or they could be examples of probably now-extinct Martian life.

 

[Canadave]

Or they could be examples of probably now-extinct Martian life.

Of course, were that the case, it would be evidence of extraterrestrial life...

 

[sojourner]

^Do you know the millions upon millions of step involved for that to have been possible?

 

[Canadave]

^ Is this in response to me? All I'm saying is that if it did happen to come from Mars, it would be extraterrestrial life.

 

[Bill Morris]

Meteorites have been found that are believed to be from Mars (96 so far), having been knocked into space by a strong asteroid strike on Mars then finally ending up here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_meteorite

Likewise, as I mentioned above, some rocks from Earth could make it to Titan, etc. where embedded microbes would try to survive.

 

[doublegoodprole]

^Do you know the millions upon millions of step involved for that to have been possible?

Good times, good times...

 

[KJbushway]

Bacteria are very resistent forms of life. Some can live in extreme cold and some can live in extreme heat. They are the simplest form of life. So saying that bacterial life came from Mars which can be habital(just slightly colder than Earth) is quite possible. However, there could be bacterial life already on planets or moons with enough atmosphere to keep them there. There could be bacteria below titans surface that came out when a asteroid hit it. A lot of the asteroid belt is left from the most voilent time in the beginning of our solar system, so that bacteria could have come from any early planet or moon. Bacteria isn't like us it doesn't need water, food, or air. So there is more than just one reason why the bacteria is there, it isn't becuase it only came from two sources.

 

[DoBa]

Gotta love them extremophiles.

 

[Reverend]

Apparently, this is all a load of dingoes kidneys.

 

[KJbushway]

its just talk of one blog to another.

 

[Squiggy]

NASA says: Nope.

 

[KJbushway]

Not that humans can say for certain that the universe is full of life, in any form.
That guy has to be careful his employer isn't going to be happy that he made himself look stupid, since he is from NASA, he kind of represents them as well.

 

[Level 2 Diagnostic]

http://journalofcosmology.com/

What a slick website! How could they not be a reliable source?

 

[John O.]

It does sound like a pretty hokey "publication".

What's really frustrating to me is you have ever tom dick and harry coming out of the scientific woodwork to deride this work, this astrobiologist, yet that's all you can find. I haven't found a single article that quotes anybody explaining exactly why the discovery is hokus. Everybody's just going on about what a joke the Journal of Cosmology is. And while that may very well be the case, that's got nothing to do with the science in the paper. I find it very frustrating and more than a little disconcerting that a bunch of scientists are playing "poke the goofy kid on the short bus" without any constructive commentary. The fact that NASA won't stand behind it doesn't really mean anything other than NASA's PR office realized that the term "NASA Astrobiologist Claims to Have Discovered Alien Life" would reflect poorly on NASA amid all the insults being hurled at the article.

 

[KJbushway]

^ He's right folks. Well said John O.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I find it very frustrating and more than a little disconcerting that a bunch of scientists are playing "poke the goofy kid on the short bus" without any constructive commentary.

They must watch The Big Bang Theory -- Sheldon is their god.

 

[John O.]

Apparently there are bullies in the scientific community.

 

[CaptainStoner]

It's life, Jim. But not as we know it.