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Title

Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in Martian Meteorite ALH84001
Authors
McKay, David S.
Gibson Jr., Everett K.
Thomas-Keprta, Kathie L.
Vali, Hojatollah
Romanek, Christopher S.
Clemett, Simon J.
Chillier, Xavier
Maechling, Claude R.
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Published in Science. 1996, vol. 273, no. 5277, p. 924-930
Abstract Fresh fracture surfaces of the martian meteorite ALH84001 contain abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These fresh fracture surfaces also display carbonate globules. Contamination studies suggest that the PAHs are indigenous to the meteorite. High-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy study of surface textures and internal structures of selected carbonate globules show that the globules contain fine-grained, secondary phases of single-domain magnetite and iron sulfides. The carbonate globules are similar in texture and size to some terrestrial bacterially induced carbonate precipitates. Although inorganic formation is possible, formation of the globules by biogenic processes could explain many of the observed features, including the PAHs. The PAHs, the carbonate globules, and their associated secondary mineral phases and textures could thus be fossil remains of a past martian biota.
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Faculté des sciences / Section de chimie et biochimie / Département de chimie physique
Citation
(ISO format) 		MCKAY, David S. et al. Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in Martian Meteorite ALH84001. In: Science, 1996, vol. 273, n° 5277, p. 924-930. https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:2970

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Deposited on : 2009-09-21

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