Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Apr 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja.....6184g&link_type=abstract
EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #6184
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
The question "Is there life on Mars?" is one of the most challenging questions for the scientific community to answer. Until documented samples are returned to Earth from Mars by space probes, the only samples available for study are twenty-six undocumented, randomly selected Martian samples delivered to Earth. Martian meteorites offer a unique opportunity to study near-surface samples from Mars. Martian meteorites of widely differing ages (ALH84001 - crystallization age of 4.5 Gy. with 3.9 Gy. old carbonates; Nakhla D crystallization age of 1.3 Gy. and clays of possibly 600-700 Ma. years age; and Shergotty D 165 Ma. crystallization age) contain evidence of water produced alteration products (hydrates, clays, sulfates, carbonates, halites, etc.). ALH84001 and Nakhla has been shown to contain indigenous reduced carbon compounds with isotopic compositions which are not products of terrestrial contaminants. Unique magnetite biomarkers are found within the ALH84001 low-temperature carbonate globules and display six unique properties of magnetites produced by the reference MV-1 magnetosome bacteria. Recently, the three-dimensional morphologies of the magnetites from both MV-1 magnetosome bacteria and the "biogenic" population of magnetites within the carbonates of ALH84001 have been show to be crystallographically equivalent. The determination that the properties of both MV-1 and ALH84001 magnetites are essentially identical provides further support for our interpretation that these Martian magnetites were produced by similar biogenic processes on Mars. To date, all of the models presented utilizing thermal decomposition of iron-rich carbonates to produce magnetites within ALH84001's carbonates fail to produce the unique properties of the biogenic magnetites. In addition, morphological structures are present within the three Martian meteorites which are identical to fossilized bacteria. Despite more than seven years of extensive research by the scientific community, the McKay et al. (1996) hypothesis of relic biogenic activity with Martian meteorites continues to be the only hypothesis that is capable of explaining all of the observed data within the samples from Mars. Information received from the Beagle-2 lander will provide additional vital information on the isotopic nature of other biogenic components present on Mars.
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