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PIA00287: Mars Life? - Microscopic Tubular Structures
Target Name: Mars
Is a satellite of: Sol (our sun)
Mission: Antarctic Meteorite Location and Mapping Project (AMLAMP)
Product Size: 716 samples x 493 lines
Produced By:
Producer ID: S96-12300
Addition Date: 1996-08-09
Other Information: NASA Announcement
Primary Data Set: AMLAMP_PAGE
Full-Res TIFF: PIA00287.tif (306.3 kB)
Full-Res JPEG: PIA00287.jpg (53.09 kB)

Click on the image to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original).

Original Caption Released with Image:
This electron microscope image shows tubular structures of likely Martian origin. These structures are very similar in size and shape to extremely tiny microfossils found in some Earth rocks. This photograph is part of a report by a NASA research team published in the Aug. 16, 1996, issue of the journal Science. A two-year investigation by the team found organic molecules, mineral features characteristic of biological activity and possible microscopic fossils such as these inside of an ancient Martian rock that fell to Earth as a meteorite. The largest possible fossils are less than 1/100th the diameter of a human hair in size while most are ten times smaller.


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