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

How can little green men from Mars not be a "Pick of the Month"? This article has received a huge amount of notice in the popular press, and you've almost certainly heard about it by now. If you click on the highlighted word "Science" above, and you have a personal or institutional subscription to Science, you can read the complete text of the paper for yourself, online. The possible impact (pardon the pun) of the announcement on the funding of extraterrestrial exploration are discussed by Andrew Lawler in the "News" section of the same issue. This work was supported by NASA, which had commentary on their "breaking news" Web pages, but these have long since expired. Do you (and your students) think that this evidence is sufficient to support the conclusion that life once existed elsewhere in our solar system? As you form your opinions, you might want also to consider"The Evolution of the Martian Climate", by Aaron P. Zent, in American Scientist 84 p. 442 (September-October 1996), which is also available in full-text online.

Publication information
Pick Attribution: 

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

Publication Date: 
Friday, August 16, 1996
Price: 
$7.00
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