After 10 years, life-on-Mars rebuked
August 5th, 2006
The meteorite labeled ALH84001 sits under a microscope at a Johnson Space Center lab in Houston,in this Aug. 7, 1996 file photo. Researchers at NASA and three universities claimed to have found in the rock from Mars organic compounds they said were deposited by primitive life forms before the meteorite was blasted into space and sent on a 15 million-year voyage to Earth. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
(AP) -- It was a science fiction fantasy come true: Ten years ago this summer, NASA announced the discovery of life on Mars. At a Washington, D.C., news conference, scientists showed magnified pictures of a four-pound Martian meteorite riddled with wormy blobs that looked like bacterial colonies. The researchers explained how they had pried numerous clues from the rock, all strongly supporting their contention that microscopic creatures once occupied its nooks and crannies.
Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .
Similar stories from PHYSorg:
Scientists Find Clues to a Secret of Life
Mar 17, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (13) |
4
Mars' water appears to have been too salty to support life
May 29, 2008 |
3.9 / 5 (19) |
3
Building blocks of life formed on Mars
Dec 11, 2007 |
4.6 / 5 (20) |
3
Reconnaissance Orbiter Reveals Details of a Wetter Mars
Oct 28, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (39) |
18
NASA Invites Students to Name New Mars Rover
Nov 18, 2008 |
3.2 / 5 (5) |
1
