BBC - Searching For Our Alien Origins (red rain)

[Dover]

Searching for 'our alien origins'
By Andrew Thompson
BBC Horizon

In July 2001, a mysterious red rain started falling over a large area of southern India.

Locals believed that it foretold the end of the world, though the official explanation was that it was desert dust that had blown over from Arabia.

But one scientist in the area, Dr Godfrey Louis, was convinced there was something much more unusual going on.

Not only did Dr Louis discover that there were tiny biological cells present, but because they did not appear to contain DNA, the essential component of all life on Earth, he reasoned they must be alien lifeforms.

"This staggering claim is that this is possibly extraterrestrial. That is a big claim I know, but all the experiments are supporting this claim," said Dr Louis.

His remarkable work has set in motion a chain of events with scientists around the world debating the origin of these mysterious cells.

..Cont'd
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6146292.stm

[aquart]

1. It's usually the red sands of the Sahara.

Mediterrannean housewives hate that stuff.

[UndertheOcean]

2. If true the wow..!!

n/t

[thereismore]

3. no pic of "cells with no DNA" - I say baloney. nt

[Dover]

7. Picture here >

Here's the Indian scientist's site with photos, info.
http://education.vsnl.com/godfrey/

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia

NOT of the rain but of microscopic structures on a meteorite.

A meteorite originating from Mars known as ALH84001 was shown in 1996 to contain microscopic structures resembling small terrestrial microfossils. When the discovery was announced, many immediately conjectured that the fossils were the first true evidence of extraterrestrial life — making headlines around the world, and even prompting U.S. President Bill Clinton to make a formal televised announcement to mark the event. As of 2003 however, most experts agree that these are not indicative of life, but may instead be formed abiotically from organic molecules. It has not yet conclusively been shown how they formed and recent advances in nanobe research has made the find interesting again.

[BushOut06]

4. How could they possibly identify them as life forms?

Not being facetious, but honestly - if there is no DNA present, and assuming it's an alien lifeform, how would we even recognize it as such?

[Dover]

5. Not a bad question. Try Wikepedia's page on Panspermia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia

Or this site: http://www.panspermia.org/intro.htm

[Ian David]

10. If it attacks us for destroying its eggs

[mainegreen]

6. So Dr Godfrey Louis (physicist) claiming this is aliens should be taken

seriously? I'll believe his findings when large numbers of biologists start to agree with him.

Until then, I think I'll lend more credence to the camp that thinks this is spores.

[Ian David]

9. I read an article in either PopSci or Discover that made this look like a real longshot. n/t

[PATRICK]

8. I thought only the US

had dumb science news articles like that. They spent most of the article in defiance of evidence and logic to tout alien theories. I could as easily blame aliens for owing to the IRS next year.

If the dust is red, not iron oxide, perhaps it is full of ancient toasted life forms from dead oceans, etc. Anyway, there are a hundred such questions to examine before scoring an atmospheric rape by ET. The pattern of the STORIES are more interesting. A leading scientist expounds some startling idea. Challenged calmly by sane scientific community. Story spends most print spinning titillating what ifs for Bigfoot fans reading paper. (India seems a recently fertile ground for this fun.) Dropped like a lead balloon soon thereafter.

Scientists irritated and humiliated by being misquoted, spun and ignored(both the hapless speculative theorist and the play-by-the-rules open-minded scientific community). It rarely matters if the reaction is "howls of derision" it is the awesome "what if" that takes over completely.

Another scientific legend is born.

[On the Road]

11. This is Not a Real Good Article from a Scientific Point of View

but there is a legitimate controversy over whether "nannobacteria" -- structures which resemble tiny cells and have been found on the Mars meteorite as well as on earth. I think the jury is still out on this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanobacteria