Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in Martian Meteorite ALH84001

McKay, David S.; Gibson Jr., Everett K.; Thomas-Keprta, Kathie L.; Vali, Hojatollah; Romanek, Christopher S.; Clemett, Simon J.; Chillier, Xavier; Maechling, Claude R.; Zare, Richard N.

doi:10.1126/science.273.5277.924

Scientific article

English

Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in Martian Meteorite ALH84001

Contributors

McKay, David S.; Gibson Jr., Everett K.; Thomas-Keprta, Kathie L.; Vali, Hojatollah; Romanek, Christopher S.; Clemett, Simon J.; Chillier, Xavier; Maechling, Claude R.; Zare, Richard N.

Published in

Science, vol. 273, no. 5277, p. 924-930

Publication date

1996

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.

UNIGE affiliation entities

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. doi: 10.1126/science.273.5277.924

Identifiers

PID : unige:2970
DOI : 10.1126/science.273.5277.924

Journal ISSN

0036-8075

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Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in Martian Meteorite ALH84001

Contributors

Published in

Publication date

Abstract

UNIGE affiliation entities

Citation (ISO format)

Identifiers

Journal ISSN

Technical informations

Creation

First validation

Update

Status update

Last indexation