Ahhh... phooey! Lichen spores
Hi Larry
From what I heard the red rain is actually lichen spores, of a species endemic to the region. Wickramasinghe is a panspermia believer with NO objectivity - anyone who can call 'Archaeopteryx' a fake, catch high atmosphere bacteria and say they're from space, and say the flu comes from comets is NOT a good scientific observer.
Thing is I still read his stuff and half-believe his more rational discussions of panspermia, as do most of us. He's definitely a 'watch this space' kind of figure. Shame he gets dogmatic in a hurry and doesn't print retractions.
Adam