The Nakhla meteorite and life in the universe February 9, 2006
Posted by dorigo in astronomy, news.trackback
A very thin film rich of organic substances discovered within some fractures of a Martian meteorite (fallen in Nakhla in 1911) is boosting once again the hypothesis that on the red planet once existed some form of life. The material is extremely similar to what is found in fractures of volcanic rocks formed on the bottom of terrestrial seas, which are probably opened by the activity of particular microbes.
The meteorite object of this discovery has been resting for a long time in the London Museum of Natural History. Several claims similar to the one mentioned have been made in the past by studying that as well as other martian meteorites.
As exciting as this may be, I remain slightly unconcerned… I am quite convinced life is quite common in the universe. To me, that is the only way to reconcile Occam’s razor with the observation of our own existence: we are here, so anything but claiming we are commonplace would be a violation of Occam’s rule. Sure, to obtain life you need to put together a solar-like system, a planet, the right temperature, the right chemical composition, blah blah: we have all heard the objections. But to me, the fact that we are here means we are not special!
To read more on past claims about the Nakhla meteorite, try:
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