NASA Scientists Claim Proof of Life on Mars

A fragment of the image snapped by MRO's HiRISE instrument, showing traces probably left behind by flowing ice or liquid water. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

NASA scientists claim that microscopic structures found in a Martian meteorite are the most compelling evidence yet that life exists on the planet Mars.

The meteorite hit the earth some 13 000 years ago, landing in Allan Hills in Antarctica. It had reached Earth after floating through space for about 16 million years.

Scientists were able to trace the meteorite back to Mars, as its chemical composition matched the relative proportions of various gases measured in observations of the atmosphere of Mars in the 1970s.

“This is very strong evidence of life on Mars,” said David Mackay, a senior NASA scientist who was part of the team that originally investigated the meteorite when it was discovered in 1984.

The microscopic worm-like structures found the meteorite are almost certainly fossilized bacteria. The bio-morphs are embedded beneath the surface layers of the rock, suggesting that they were already present when the meteorite arrived, rather than being the result of subsequent contamination by Earthly bacteria.

Earlier examinations of the meteorite had led scientists to dismiss claim s that the microfossils were evidence of life on Mars. The latest analyses, using high resolution electron microscopy, suggested that about 25% of the crystal structures were chemically consistent with being formed from bacteria.

The NASA team has also been studying two other Martian meteorites — Nakhla, which landed in Egypt in 1911, and Yamato 593, which was found by a Japanese expedition to Antarctica.

In research due to be published shortly, the scientists claim that both of these fossils also show evidence of microbial life.

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