Coverage by Fox (sorry, tried to edit link, can't.)
The Paper Itself Here
His Page Here
Read through the paper, here's what it all leads up to:
The point: They believe that they have found several objects from outer space which contain the fossilized remains of bacteria which they say has to be from somewhere other than earth. They have effectively ruled out earthly contamination and have invited all the best scientists in the world to prove them wrong. If they can't, than in the coming weeks will be official acknowledgement that we are not alone in the universe. (Keep in mind, this is just bacteria, but where there is bacteria and time there will be more complex life)
Some comments posted by others:
The Paper Itself Here
His Page Here
Journal of Cosmology, 2011, Vol 13,
Fossils of Cyanobacteria in CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorites Richard B. Hoover, Ph.D. NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Synopsis:
Dr. Hoover has discovered evidence of microfossils similar to Cyanobacteria, in freshly fractured slices of the interior surfaces of the Alais, Ivuna, and Orgueil CI1 carbonaceous meteorites. Based on Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and other measures, Dr. Hoover has concluded they are indigenous to these meteors and are similar to trichomic cyanobacteria and other trichomic prokaryotes such as filamentous sulfur bacteria. He concludes these fossilized bacteria are not Earthly contaminants but are the fossilized remains of living organisms which lived in the parent bodies of these meteors, e.g. comets, moons, and other astral bodies. The implications are that life is everywhere, and that life on Earth may have come from other planets.
Members of the Scientific community were invited to analyze the results and to write critical commentaries or to speculate about the implications. These commentaries will be published on March 7 through March 10, 2011.
Official Statement from Dr. Rudy Schild, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard-Smithsonian, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Cosmology. We believe Dr. Hoover's careful analysis provides definitive evidence of ancient microbial life on astral bodies some of which may predate the origin of Earth and this solar system.
Dr. Richard Hoover is a highly respected scientist and astrobiologist with a prestigious record of accomplishment at NASA. Given the controversial nature of his discovery, we have invited 100 experts and have issued a general invitation to over 5000 scientists from the scientific community to review the paper and to offer their critical analysis. Our intention is to publish the commentaries, both pro and con, alongside Dr. Hoover's paper. In this way, the paper will have received a thorough vetting, and all points of view can be presented. No other paper in the history of science has undergone such a thorough analysis, and no other scientific journal in the history of science has made such a profoundly important paper available to the scientific community, for comment, before it is published. We believe the best way to advance science, is to promote debate and discussion.
Fossils of Cyanobacteria in CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorites Richard B. Hoover, Ph.D. NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Synopsis:
Dr. Hoover has discovered evidence of microfossils similar to Cyanobacteria, in freshly fractured slices of the interior surfaces of the Alais, Ivuna, and Orgueil CI1 carbonaceous meteorites. Based on Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and other measures, Dr. Hoover has concluded they are indigenous to these meteors and are similar to trichomic cyanobacteria and other trichomic prokaryotes such as filamentous sulfur bacteria. He concludes these fossilized bacteria are not Earthly contaminants but are the fossilized remains of living organisms which lived in the parent bodies of these meteors, e.g. comets, moons, and other astral bodies. The implications are that life is everywhere, and that life on Earth may have come from other planets.
Members of the Scientific community were invited to analyze the results and to write critical commentaries or to speculate about the implications. These commentaries will be published on March 7 through March 10, 2011.
Official Statement from Dr. Rudy Schild, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard-Smithsonian, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Cosmology. We believe Dr. Hoover's careful analysis provides definitive evidence of ancient microbial life on astral bodies some of which may predate the origin of Earth and this solar system.
Dr. Richard Hoover is a highly respected scientist and astrobiologist with a prestigious record of accomplishment at NASA. Given the controversial nature of his discovery, we have invited 100 experts and have issued a general invitation to over 5000 scientists from the scientific community to review the paper and to offer their critical analysis. Our intention is to publish the commentaries, both pro and con, alongside Dr. Hoover's paper. In this way, the paper will have received a thorough vetting, and all points of view can be presented. No other paper in the history of science has undergone such a thorough analysis, and no other scientific journal in the history of science has made such a profoundly important paper available to the scientific community, for comment, before it is published. We believe the best way to advance science, is to promote debate and discussion.
Read through the paper, here's what it all leads up to:
Although many modern cyanobacteria are resistant to desiccation, they do not carry out active growth and mat building when they are in a dried state. However, it has been known since 1864 that the Orgueil meteorite is a microregolith breccia, comprised of minute particulates cemented together by water-soluble salts that are readily destroyed by exposure to liquid water.
Therefore, it is suggested that none of the Orgueil samples could have ever been submerged in pools of liquid water needed to sustain the growth of large photoautotrophic cyanobacteria and required for the formation of benthic cyanobacterial mats since the meteorite arrived on Earth. Many of the filaments shown in the figures are clearly embedded in the meteorite rock matrix. Consequently, it is concluded that the Orgueil filaments cannot logically be interpreted as representing filamentous cyanobacteria that invaded the meteorite after its arrival. They are therefore interpreted as the indigenous remains of microfossils that were present in the meteorite rock matrix when the meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
EDS elemental analyses carried out on the meteorite rock matrix and on living and fossil cyanobacteria and old and ancient biological materials have shown that the Orgueil filaments have elemental compositions that reflect the composition of the Orgueil meteorite matrix but that are very different from living and old microorganisms and biological filaments. Recently dead cyanobacteria and living cyanobacteria and other modern extremophiles are usually damaged by exposure to the focused FESEM electron beam during EDS analysis of small spots. This beam damage behavior was not observed in the Orgueil filaments or in Devonian, Cambrian, or Archaean fossils investigated. The C/N and C/S ratios of the Orgueil filaments are similar to fossilized materials and kerogens but very different from living biological matter, providing further evidence that the Orgueil filaments are not modern biological contaminants.
Therefore, it is suggested that none of the Orgueil samples could have ever been submerged in pools of liquid water needed to sustain the growth of large photoautotrophic cyanobacteria and required for the formation of benthic cyanobacterial mats since the meteorite arrived on Earth. Many of the filaments shown in the figures are clearly embedded in the meteorite rock matrix. Consequently, it is concluded that the Orgueil filaments cannot logically be interpreted as representing filamentous cyanobacteria that invaded the meteorite after its arrival. They are therefore interpreted as the indigenous remains of microfossils that were present in the meteorite rock matrix when the meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
EDS elemental analyses carried out on the meteorite rock matrix and on living and fossil cyanobacteria and old and ancient biological materials have shown that the Orgueil filaments have elemental compositions that reflect the composition of the Orgueil meteorite matrix but that are very different from living and old microorganisms and biological filaments. Recently dead cyanobacteria and living cyanobacteria and other modern extremophiles are usually damaged by exposure to the focused FESEM electron beam during EDS analysis of small spots. This beam damage behavior was not observed in the Orgueil filaments or in Devonian, Cambrian, or Archaean fossils investigated. The C/N and C/S ratios of the Orgueil filaments are similar to fossilized materials and kerogens but very different from living biological matter, providing further evidence that the Orgueil filaments are not modern biological contaminants.
The point: They believe that they have found several objects from outer space which contain the fossilized remains of bacteria which they say has to be from somewhere other than earth. They have effectively ruled out earthly contamination and have invited all the best scientists in the world to prove them wrong. If they can't, than in the coming weeks will be official acknowledgement that we are not alone in the universe. (Keep in mind, this is just bacteria, but where there is bacteria and time there will be more complex life)
Some comments posted by others:
robosatan:
The universe was mainly hydrogen at the big bang. Heavier elements like carbon and oxygen can only be formed under immense pressure of a star much larger than own. It was the general consensus last time i heard, that our solar system is actually formed from the remnants of star gone supernova, as Carl Sagan would put it, spewing star stuff across our galaxy. The meteorite is believed to be extraterrestrial in origin due to the composition of the rock. Thus unless science fails us, there's a possibility that it traveled quite far. Perhaps originating from the supernova explosion sent the atoms in your body spiraling to form the sun and the planets.
In fact this is what kind of excites me. If there's someway of telling that this rock is extremely old it could hint to the age of life. Right now we could be the products of a single super nova, if this microbe was fossilized at the same time of that then logic dictates there would have had to have been a super nova (or other process) that came before the one that made sol. Meaning that life could have potentially existed for billions of years before the earth even began to coalesce, greatly increasing the probability that there is indeed other intelligent life out there and possibly nearby!
The universe was mainly hydrogen at the big bang. Heavier elements like carbon and oxygen can only be formed under immense pressure of a star much larger than own. It was the general consensus last time i heard, that our solar system is actually formed from the remnants of star gone supernova, as Carl Sagan would put it, spewing star stuff across our galaxy. The meteorite is believed to be extraterrestrial in origin due to the composition of the rock. Thus unless science fails us, there's a possibility that it traveled quite far. Perhaps originating from the supernova explosion sent the atoms in your body spiraling to form the sun and the planets.
In fact this is what kind of excites me. If there's someway of telling that this rock is extremely old it could hint to the age of life. Right now we could be the products of a single super nova, if this microbe was fossilized at the same time of that then logic dictates there would have had to have been a super nova (or other process) that came before the one that made sol. Meaning that life could have potentially existed for billions of years before the earth even began to coalesce, greatly increasing the probability that there is indeed other intelligent life out there and possibly nearby!
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