Amino Acids in the Antarctic Martian Meteorite MIL03346

• Main Authors: Botta, O., Dworkin, J. P., Aubrey, A., Glavin, D. P., Bada, J. L.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2005
• Subjects: Exobiology; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20050169532

The report by McKay et al. that the Martian meteorite ALH84001 contains evidence for life on Mars remains controversial. Of central importance is whether ALH84001 and other Antarctic Martian meteorites contain endogenous organic compounds. In any investigation of organic compounds possibly derived from Mars it is important to focus on compounds that play an essential role in biochemistry as we know it and that have properties such as chirality which can be used to distinguish between biotic versus abiotic origins. Amino acids are one of the few compounds that fulfill these requirements. Previous analyses of the Antarctic Martian meteorites ALH84001 and EETA79001 have shown that these meteorites contain low levels of terrestrial amino acid contamination derived from Antarctic ice meltwater. Here we report preliminary amino acid investigations of a third Antarctic Martian meteorite MIL03346 which was discovered in Antarctica during the 2003-04 ANSMET season. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract