The Polonnaruwa Meteorite
After a fireball fell in Sri Lanka, an astronomer claimed the stones held fossils of tiny life from space. Other scientists disagreed.
What was reported
On 29 December 2012, villagers near Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka saw a bright fireball break up, and collected dark, porous stones from rice fields. Around the same time, coloured rain was reported in parts of the country, as had happened in Kerala in 2001.
In 2013, astronomer Chandra Wickramasinghe, a long-time supporter of the idea that life arrived on Earth from space, published papers claiming the stones contained fossils of diatoms, tiny algae, and were proof of life beyond Earth.
Explanations offered
Other scientists tested the stones and concluded they were not meteorites at all, but ordinary rocks such as fulgurites, formed when lightning strikes the ground, and that any diatoms were Earth contamination. Most researchers reject the claims.
- When
- 29 December 2012
- Where
- Polonnaruwa, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
- Witnesses
- Villagers and scientists
- Status
- Claims rejected
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.