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.
A NASA research team of scientists at the Johnson Space Center and at
Stanford University has found evidence that strongly suggests primitive life
may have existed on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. The NASA-funded
team found the first organic molecules thought to be of Martian origin; several
mineral features characteristic of biological activity; and possible microscopic
fossils of primitive, bacteria-like organisms inside of an ancient Martian rock
that fell to Earth as a meteorite. This array of indirect evidence of past life will
be reported in the Aug. 16 issue of the journal Science, presenting the investigation
to the scientific community at large to reach a future consensus that will either confirm
or deny the team's conclusion.