U of A scientist looks at ‘organic-like’ Mars rock
University of Alberta researcher Chris Herd is part of a team that has discovered in Martian meteorites “organic-like material,” similar to that on which life on Earth is based.
The team examined 11 samples of Martian meteorites, all of which started out as magma from inside the red planet. In 10 of the 11 samples, compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen were found.
The fact that the scientists didn’t find graphite — a combination of pure crystal and carbon — is significant, said Herd, a geologist and meteorite expert.
“Being organic-like, if there were Martian bugs, they could potentially use it for food.”
It’s also important to note that the materials come from the depths of Mars, not from its surface, said Herd.
“That tells you that it has nothing to do with biology. Biology didn’t make this stuff.”
The discovery is not evidence of life on Mars, stressed Herd, who has been working on the project for the past few years, alongside team members led by Andrew Steele of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Steele developed a technique by which a microscopic tool can look for and characterize bits of carbon-rich material in slices of meteorites.
The Martian meteorites were mainly discovered in northwest Africa and Antarctica, and ranged in age from 200 million to four billion years old, said Herd.
Herd said the findings could have a bearing on NASA’s upcoming mission to Mars with the rover vehicle Curiosity, scheduled for August 5.
“They might come across these kinds of rocks ... and they might see carbonaceous material in them. If they do, perhaps it’s like this stuff — not necessarily evidence of life. So it could be a red herring kind of thing.”
The research was published in the Science Express journal on May 24.