Allan Hills 84001

Basic Information

Allan Hills 84001 (commonly abbreviated ALH 84001) is a meteorite found in Allan Hills, Antarctica on December 27, 1984. It's structure includes what some scientists believe to fossilized microbial life. What makes this particularly interesting is that ALH84001 is believed to have originated on Mars. Some asteroid impact on Mars broke this piece of Martian rock off and flung it into space, and it eventually landed on earth. It originated in the Eos Chasma, part of the enormous Valles Marineris site, during a time when Mars is believed to have surface water.

On August 6, 1996, NASA scientists announced their belief that they had found traces of alien biology on the meteorite. U.S. President Bill Clinton made a TV announcement heralding the discovery. However, the fossils remain controversial. Some believe they aren't actually fossils, others believe they originated in the antarctic ice instead of on Mars.

See Also:

• Life on Mars
• Exogenesis
• Panspermia

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia

2. New Scientist

Game and Story Use

• Since Endolith and extremophile organisms here on earth can survive extreme variations in temperature and pressure, there's a chance of rocks such as this one carrying life from one planet to another. Some estimates are that such life could survive in the vacuum and cold of space for about 5 years.
  • Life on Mars is likely to use Hydrogen Peroxide as Biological Solvent - but may have originally evolved back when Mars had water. So, alien microbes sent here by asteroid impacts could possibly survive and adapt to our planetary conditions, creating a shadow biosphere just under our noses.
  • An alien invasion in miniature could result in a plague if the alien life proves particularly harmful to earth life.
• It's a government conspiracy - they know that there's life on mars, have known it since the Viking Biological Experiments, had it confirmed by ALH84001, and yet are keeping it quiet for some sinister reason.
  • Note that the Lewinsky scandal didn't enter the public consciousness until after Clinton had said life had been found from Mars. Perhaps it was payback for betraying his alien masters? Did Majestic 12 hire Kenneth Starr?