Tracing life back into space: a difficult task

Hans D. Pflug; Bettina Heinz

doi:10.1117/12.319837

6 July 1998 Tracing life back into space: a difficult task

Hans D. Pflug, Bettina Heinz

Proceedings Volume 3441, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.319837
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Precambrian microfossils were used for a comparison in the study of the microstructures in carbonaceous meteorites. As a result, three morphological categories could be distinguished in the meteorite materials. Category 1- morphologies are such simple spheres and filaments that we can hardly be confident about biological assignments. Category 2-morphologies closely resemble structures known from laboratory experiments and thus should continue to be treated as non-biogenous. Morphologies of the third category are quite comparable to terrestrial microfossils in their preserved features and thus might be biogenous. Our observations suggest that carbonaceous meteorites are heterogenous in composition and contain particles from different extraterrestrial sources and of different ages.

Citation Download Citation

Hans D. Pflug and Bettina Heinz "Tracing life back into space: a difficult task", Proc. SPIE 3441, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology, (6 July 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.319837

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