NSF PA/M 01-05 - February 26, 2001
Video Available: NSF Official Describes Hunt for Antarctic
Meteorites
RELATED TO NEW METEORITE EVIDENCE OF PRIMITIVE
LIFE ON MARS
A researcher supported by the National Science Foundation
(NSF) has published new evidence in the Feb. 27 edition
of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
that meteorite ALH84001, one of the meteorites retrieved
from Antarctica, may contain remnants of primitive
life that existed on Mars billions of years ago. Meteorite
ALH84001 was discovered through the U.S. Antarctic
Program's (USAP) Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET)
program. NSF is making available video of Scott Borg
of the U.S. Antarctic Program explaining how meteorite
searches are conducted.
Background: ANSMET is supported by a grant to
Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Through ANSMET,
scientists have been able to obtain material from
meteorites that have fallen to earth from the moon
and from Mars as well as elsewhere in the solar system.
The Antarctic meteorite program is a collaborative
effort of NSF, NASA, and the Smithsonian Institution.
NASA and the Smithsonian Institution provide for the
classification, curation, and distribution of Antarctic
meteorites. All three agencies sponsor research on
these specimens.
Since 1976, ANSMET has recovered more than 10,000 specimens
from meteorite stranding surfaces in the Transantarctic
mountains. These specimens are currently the only
reliable, continuous source of new, non-microscopic
extraterrestrial material. The study of Antarctic
meteorites has greatly extended knowledge of the materials
and conditions in the primeval nebula from which our
solar system was born; revealed the complex and exotic
geologic nature of asteroids; and proved that some
specimens recovered from Antarctica represent planetary
materials from the moon and Mars.
Broadcasters: Generic Antarctic B-roll, animation
as well as sound bites from Scott Borg discussing
NSF's Antarctic Search for Meteorites program, is
available on Betacam SP. Contact: NSF’s Dena Headlee,
(703) 292-8070, dheadlee@nsf.gov.
For more information contact:
Peter West, NSF (703) 292-8070/pwest@nsf.gov
Scott Borg, U.S. Antarctic Program (703) 292-8030/sborg@nsf.gov
Ralph Harvey, head of the ANSMET program at Case
Western Reserve University, (216) 368-0198/rph@po.cwru.edu
For NSF's most recent news release on ALH84001, see:
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/00/pr0096.htm
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