[meteorite-list] Re: Compelling Evidence for Life on Mars

From: Gary Hansen <garyhansen_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:37:34 2004
Message-ID: <20001213180549.25904.qmail_at_web6404.mail.yahoo.com>

Regarding the prestige of Geochimica et Cosmochimica,
I stand corrected. (It is not my professional field.
Sorry.)

I also understand, given the past notoriety of the
subject, that the authors are being cautious and not
taking the New York Times route. Extraordinary claims
call for more than the usual standard of proof.

Gary


--- "Treiman, Allan" <Treiman_at_lpi.usra.edu> wrote:
> Hi, all.
> The journal they published in, Geochimica et
> Cosmochimica
> Acta is one of the top two journals for meteorite
> studies. The paper
> about magnetites in ALH84001 is way way too long for
> Nature or
> Science. It runs 33 pages!
> I think its a strong case that the carbonate
> globules formed on
> Mars, that the magnetites inside them formed on
> Mars, and that
> some of the magnetites are indistinguishable from
> those made by
> some bacteria on Earth. But, is it absolutely
> impossible for
> magnetites like those to form without intervention
> of life? That, I
> think is the real question. To me, "... there are
> more things in heaven
> and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy..."
> Allan
>
> Allan H. Treiman
> Lunar and Planetary Institute
> 3600 Bay Area Boulevard
> Houston, TX 77058-1113
>
> 281-486-2117
> 281-486-2162 FAX
> treiman_at_lpi.usra.edu
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Gary Hansen [SMTP:garyhansen_at_yahoo.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2000 11:12 AM
> > To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> > Subject: [meteorite-list] Re: Compelling Evidence
> for Life on Mars
> >
> >
> > Very interesting paper. To quote Bertrand
> Russell:
> > "important -- if true". It reminds me of the
> > conroversy surrounding Orgueil. (See
> > http://www.panspermia.org/magneto.htm) I believe
> > later research showed that the magnetotactic
> bacteria
> > were likely terrestrial interlopers. Also, it is
> hard
> > to imagine such life forms evolving in the parent
> body
> > of a CI carbonaceous chondrite, which is unlikely
> to
> > have a magnetic field.
> >
> > The authors assert that the magnetite was found in
> > carbonate of known Martian origin. Making the
> case
> > against contamination will be harder.
> >
> > Also, why did they publish in such an obscure
> journal?
> > No one else would take it? If I had a finding
> like
> > that, my first call would be to Nature, second to
> the
> > New York Times.
> >
> > Stay tuned, I guess.
> >
> > Gary
> >
> >
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Received on Wed 13 Dec 2000 01:05:49 PM PST