Is there life on Mars? Rock may have answer
A rare, fist-sized meteorite from Mars has been found by scientists in the Oman desert and they are beginning to examine it for evidence of life on the red planet and other mysteries.
The rock is one of only 18 on Earth known to have come from Mars, the scientists said. Most of the others have been snapped up by collectors, so only a handful including the one found by the team are fully available for study.
‘‘We’re only starting on our research into whether there are any signs of life,’’ said Swiss geologist Marc Hauser who found the rock while the team was collecting meteorites last January.
But, Hauser said the team is excited that unusually large pockets inside the rock could provide evidence about life more conclusive than American suggestions about possible fossils on an earlier meteorite found in Antarctica.
The team from Bern University said they were sure the examination being conducted with other scientists would contribute to rapidly growing knowledge of the planet.
‘‘Since the announcement of possible traces of life in the Antarctic Mars meteorite ALH84001 in 1996, Mars research has boomed,’’ they said in a statement.
That rock, also known as Allen Hills 84001, was found near the South Pole as were other earlier Mars meteorite finds before scientists started looking hard in deserts in recent years.
Some researchers suggested Allen Hills contained fossilised remains of extraterrestrial life, but ‘‘the arguments presented in 1996 are hardly taken as solid evidence today,’’ said the Bern statement.
Hauser said X-ray tomography of the new rock had shown a surprising number of hollow pockets inside that might contain gases or atmosphere that would give interesting clues about Mars and the story of the meteorite.
The pockets have ‘‘a much greater potential’’ than the rest of the rock for containing evidence of life on Mars, he said.
It will be several months before the researchers will be able to make any initial conclusions about whether there are traces of life in the half pound fragment, Hauser said.
Hauser said the team believes the meteorite is part of another one found earlier in the same area.
Mars rocks start their journey toward earth when a meteorite from elsewhere slams into the Martian surface, scattering rocks that fly off at speeds of 12,500 mph or faster.
It can take them millions of years to reach Earth. Entering the atmosphere slows them with ‘‘an airbag effect’’ so that they hit the earth with virtually no impact, Hauser said.
