Study nixes Mars life in meteorite found in Antarctica

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have concluded that a meteorite from Mars contains no evidence of ancient Martian life. The 4-pound rock caused a splash 25 years ago when a NASA-led team announced that its organic compounds may have been left by living creatures, however primitive. Researchers chipped away at that theory over the decades. A team of scientists led by Andrew Steele of the Carnegie Institution published their findings Thursday. But two scientists who took part in the original study took issue with these latest findings, calling them “disappointing.” An impact at Mars bounced the meteorite off the red planet millions of years ago, and it wound up in Antarctica.