Skepticism greets claim of possible alien microbes

Jan. 5, 2006
Special to World Science

‘A paper to appear in a scientific journal claims a strange red rain might have dumped microbes from space onto Earth four years ago. At least 50,000 kg (55 tons) of the particles have fallen in all. People on the streets found their cloths stained by red raindrops. In a few places the concentration of particles were so great that the rainwater appeared almost like blood. The particles look like one-celled organisms and are about 4 to 10 thousandths of a millimeter wide, somewhat larger than typical bacteria. The particles seem to lack a nucleus, the core DNA-containing compartment that animal and plant cells have, the researchers wrote. Chemical tests indicated they also lacked DNA, the gene-carrying molecule that most types of cells contain. The outer envelope seems to contain an inner capsule, which in some places appears to be detached from the outer wall to form an empty region inside the cell. Further, there appears to be a faintly visible mucus layer present on the outer side of the cell. The major constituents of the red particles are carbon and oxygen. Carbon is the key component of life on Earth. Silicon is most prominent among the minor constituents of the particles; other elements found were iron, sodium, aluminum and chlorine. The red rain phenomenon first started in Kerala after a meteor airburst event, which occurred on 25th July 2001. Alive or dead, the particles have some staying power, if the paper is correct. Even after storage in the original rainwater at room temperature without any preservative for about four years, no decay or discolouration of the particles could be found.’