Scientists in Wales are claim that they may have plant fossilized bug in meteorite that barge in to the ground a few years ago in Sri Lanka . The meteorites have a geologic composition characteristic of comet , but when the research worker crack them open they found something unexpected .
They discovered microscopic construction that look an awful circumstances like ancient algae find on Earth . harmonise to the researchers , these distance fogey ’ age and position within the meteorite suggest that they are n’t the result of pollution and that they did genuinely arise offworld .
right on now , however , the evidence is strictly geomorphological — these depend like algae fossil , but more testing is needed to verify that that ’s what they are . Over at Bad Astronomy , Phil Plait says theyare dead not fossil spirit form . He also explains why these may not even be meteoriteshere . So take this with a texture of common salt .
Technology Review account :
The most startling claims , however , are establish on electron microscope images of social organisation within the Harlan F. Stone ( see above ) . Wallis and co. say that one icon shows a complex , thick - surround , C - productive microfossil about 100 micrometres across that bares similarities with a group of largely extinct marine dinoflagellate algae .
They say another figure shows well - preserved scourge that are 2 micrometres in diameter and 100 micrometres tenacious . By terrestrial standard , that ’s extremely long and thin , which Wallis and co. read as evidence of formation in a depleted - gravity , blue - pressure environs .
Wallis and co. also measured the abundance of various elements in the sample to define their origin . They say that low levels of nitrogen in particular linguistic rule out the possibleness of contamination by modern organisms which would have a much mellow nitrogen content . The fact that these sample distribution are also buried within the rock ‘n’ roll intercellular substance is further grounds , they say .
Wallis and co. are convinced that the lines of evidence they have gather are powerful and persuasive . “ This provides clear and convincing evidence that these obviously ancient remains of extinct marine algae found plant in the Polonnaruwa meteorite are autochthonous to the stone and not the result of post - arrival microbial contaminants , ” they conclude .
Readmore on Technology Review , orread the researchers ’ reporton Arxiv . Thanks for the tip , Matt MCC !
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