2010/06/10 by Chandra Wickramasinghe · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Astro and Planetary Science #Isotope Analysis in Ecology #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
paper · doi:10.1017/s1473550410000157
openalex publication_date 2010/06/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract It is nearly 30 years since the first decisive evidence of microbial morphologies in carbonaceous chondrites was discovered and reported by Hans Dieter Pflug. In addition to morphology, other data, notably laser mass spectroscopy, served to confirm the identification of such structures as putative bacterial fossils. Recent examinations of cometary dust collected in the stratosphere and further studies of carbonaceous meteorites reaffirm the presence of putative microbial fossils. Since carbonaceous chondrites (particularly Type 1 chondrites) are thought to be extinct comets the data reviewed in this article provide strong support for theories of cometary panspermia.