Patterns
Abstract There was always something a little different about meteorite ALH84001, found in 1984 on the icy Allan Hills of Antarctica. For one thing, it came from Mars---like only 11 other meteorites found around the world. But unlike these others, ALH84001 was old-and I mean four-and-a-half billion y...
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University PressOxford
1998
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198502449.003.0001 https://academic.oup.com/book/chapter-pdf/52629215/isbn-9780198502449-book-part-1.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract There was always something a little different about meteorite ALH84001, found in 1984 on the icy Allan Hills of Antarctica. For one thing, it came from Mars---like only 11 other meteorites found around the world. But unlike these others, ALH84001 was old-and I mean four-and-a-half billion years old. The rock was formed when the Red Planet was newly born. But the most extraordinary aspect of this little lump of Mars did not emerge until August 1996, when scientists from NASA announced that it might contain signs of fossil life from our cosmic neighbour. Maybe my years at Nature magazine have exposed me to too many amazing ‘discoveries’ that vanish like morning mist under close scrutiny; but I felt in my bones that this claim would not stand the test of time. If I’m wrong (and I rather hope I am), this is one of the most significant discoveries of the twentieth century. |
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