bi John McDonnell
A respectit American scientific journal, the Journal of Cosmology, haes publisht a studie at claims tae hae funn evidence o bacterial lyfe in meteorites at fell til the yird frae outer space. The studie, cairrit out bi NASA astrobiologist Dr. Richard Hoover, staits at ther structures yirdit deip ben the meteorites at kin ainerlie hae been creatit bi cyanobactera.
Cyanobacteria is the maist commun o bacteria, an thocht bi monie tae be the bacteria at evolved furst, makin hit the auldest. On our planet cyanobacteria bydes blythe in extreme condiciouns, lik volcanoes, hot springs, or in the deipest pairts o the oceans.
Dr Hoover is a weill kent an respectit scientist in his airt, an haes studied cyanobacteria for monie yeirs. He identified grein filament lyke mairks ben meteorites at haed juist been rift aipen. Hoover yuised Environmental Scannin Electron Microscopie an Field Emission Scannin Electron Microscopie fur tae speir out the internal surfaces o the meteorites. Images frae the scans shaas lairge complex grein filaments at luiks lik weill-kent genera an species o trichomic cyanobacteria an ither trichomic prokaryotes.
Bi the wey o Dr Hoover the mairks cudnae hae been creatit bi bacteria frae the yird kis the meteorite haed no lang landit an the mairks wis clairlie fossilised. The possibeilitie o contaminacioun wis ruled out an aa, kis the mairks wis deip ben the rock.
A whein yeir syne, anither researcher publisht anither report makin a siclyke claim at wis received wi skepticism bi the scientific communitie. Houeer the structures funn bi Dr Hoover is monie times lairger nor thaim funn in the aulder studie, an haes an unco compare til fossil bacteria frae the Yird. Scientists at taks a skwatch at Dr Hoover’s wark wull focus on pruivin at the fossils cannae be a result o contaminacioun frae yirdie bacteria.
Gin the report pruives tae be true, hit wull be yae o the heid scientific discoveries o the centurie. Hit wull gie strang grunns til the theorie at hauds at the furst lyfe cam til the Yird cairrit bi comets an meteorites, whaur ither scientists haes locatit complex carbon molecules, the biggin blocks o lyfe.
Ther cud be lyfe out ther, hit’s mibbie no wee grein men, but hit is wee an grein.