5 research outputs found
Enigmatic tubular features in impact glass
We describe the fi rst putative microbial trace fossils hosted in meteorite impact glass.
We conducted optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,
and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy on postimpact tubular features hosted in
impact glasses from the Ries impact structure (Germany). The morphologies of the tubules
are inconsistent with known mineralogical crystallization mechanisms, and combined with
evidence of organic molecules suggest that these tubules cannot be formed through purely
abiotic processes. The simplest and most consistent explanation of the data is that biological
activity played a role in the formation of the tubular textures in the Ries glasses, likely during
postimpact hydrothermal activity. As impact glass is a ubiquitous substrate on rocky bodies
throughout the Solar System and likely common on the early Earth, the preservation of
biological activity in impact glass has signifi cant astrobiological implications for life on early
Earth as well as for the search for life on other planet