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Organic matter in Martian meteorite came from chemical reactions, not microbes

Date: 18-Dec-07
Author: Carnegie Institution of Washington

Organic compounds contain carbon and hydrogen and form the building blocks of all life on Earth. By analyzing organic material and minerals in the Martian meteorite Allan Hills 84001, scientists at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory have shown for the first time that building blocks of life formed on Mars early in its history. Previously, scientists have thought that organic material in ALH 84001 was brought to Mars by meteorite impacts or more speculatively originated from ancient Martian microbes.

The Carnegie-led team made a comprehensive study of the ALH 84001 meteorite and compared the results with data from related rocks found on Svalbard, Norway. The Svalbard samples occur in volcanoes that erupted in a freezing Arctic climate about 1 million years ago -- possibly mimicking conditions on early Mars.

A study published in Science in 1996 claims that the 4.5-billion-year-old Martian meteorite ALH84001 contains fossil evidence of primitive Martian life. Courtesy: NASA JSC

The similar association of carbonate, magnetite and organic material in the Martian meteorite ALH 84001 is very compelling and shows that the organic material did not originate from Martian life forms but formed directly from chemical reactions within the rock. This is the first study to show that Mars is capable of forming organic compounds at all.

Full story: Building blocks of life formed on Mars

Related links:

• What is ALH 84001?
• Evidence of Ancient Martian Life in Meteorite ALH84001?