The Mars Rock from Antarctica
A rock picked up from the Antarctic ice turned out to have come from Mars, and in 1996 scientists said it might hold fossils of tiny life.
What was reported
In December 1984, a team searching for meteorites on the ice of the Allan Hills in Antarctica picked up a greenish rock. It was later shown to have come from Mars, blasted off by an impact millions of years ago, before landing in Antarctica about 13,000 years ago. It was labelled ALH84001.
In 1996, a NASA-led team announced that the rock contained chemical traces and tiny tube-shaped structures that might be fossils of ancient Martian bacteria. US President Bill Clinton made a televised statement about it.
Explanations offered
Most scientists now think the features can be explained without life: the shapes are too small for known bacteria, and the chemistry can form through ordinary processes. The rock is still studied, and it helped launch decades of research into whether Mars ever had life.
- When
- Found 1984; claim made in 1996
- Where
- Allan Hills, Antarctica
- Witnesses
- Meteorite hunters and NASA scientists
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.