Researcher probes rare meteorite for clues about origins of life

(PhysOrg.com) -- A McMaster researcher analyzing one of the world's most pristine meteorites says the rock that crashed into a frozen lake in B.C. is yielding some surprising results. The meteorite provides a rare glimpse into how compounds in the early solar system were formed.

"I think it's a fundamental question: What are the origins of the molecules necessary for life?" says Greg Slater, an associate professor at McMaster who holds a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Isotope Biogeochemistry.

His recent collaboration with a team of other scientists has produced ground-breaking research published in this month's issue of Science magazine. The subject of study: the meteorite that landed at Tagish Lake in 2000.

"It's one of the most carbon-rich meteorites we have," says Slater. "Because of the way it was collected, it's incredibly pristine and contains many organic materials that were likely lost in other meteorites."

The rock garnered international attention when, unlike most others, it was collected within a week of falling onto the frozen lake. Initial samples were kept frozen and are among the best-preserved meteorite samples ever studied.

The project's lead investigator is Christopher Herd of the University of Alberta. Herd recruited specialists from several institutions in Canada and the U.S., including Slater, to analyze primitive geological evidence in rock samples.

The team's research is a significant step towards understanding how pre-biotic matter was formed into organic compounds in the early solar system.

Their study found four different types of mineral structure within the same meteorite - an abnormal occurrence that sheds light on some of the initial chemical reactions that took place in the specimen.

The organic molecules that first formed in the meteorite could be similar to those delivered to a much younger Earth.

Slater's research program focuses on the sources, transport, and processing of organic compounds.

The professor, who started at the University in 2003, continued to build his ongoing research program in astrobiology by joining McMaster's Origins Institute. The institute takes a multidisciplinary approach to finding answers to science's biggest questions.

Slater is excited by the initial results of the Tagish Lake meteorite project, and intends to continue his involvement with this avenue of research.

"Though we're not actively looking for extraterrestrial life, our research provides us with what we'd need to understand if we were to receive samples of life from Mars, or other bodies in the solar system," says Slater.

Provided by McMaster University