The meteorite from Mars that caused a splash here on Earth decades ago contains no evidence of ancient, primitive Martian life.
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In 1996, a team from Nasa said that the organic compounds in the rock appeared to have been left by living creatures. Over the decades, other scientists were skeptical of that premise, most recently by a team led by Andrew Steele.
Steele said that the carbon-rich compounds are the result of water flowing over the rock for a long time. The findings are in the journal.
During Mars' wet and early past, at least two impacts occurred near the rock, heating the planet's surrounding surface, before a third impact bounced it off the red planet and into space millions of years ago. The rock was found in the South Pole.
The researchers say that the tiny clumps of carbon that are present were formed by the ground moving through the cracks. They said that the same thing can happen on Earth and that it could explain the presence of methane on Mars.
Two scientists who took part in the original study were not happy with the latest findings. They said in a shared email that they stand by their 1996 observations.
Allan Hills 84001, a Mars rock, was shown at a news conference in 1996. Doug Mills/AP
Kathie Thomas-Keprta and Simon Clemett wrote that the interpretation of the data presented is not novel nor is it supported by the research.
Unsupported speculation doesn't help the cause of the origin of organic matter in the meteorite.
Steele said that technology made his team's findings possible.
The original researchers' life-claiming hypothesis was a reasonable interpretation at the time, and he praised the measurements by them. He said that the results of his team were presented for what they were, which was a very exciting discovery about Mars.
Steele said that this finding is huge for our understanding of how life started on this planet and helps refine the techniques we need to find life elsewhere on Mars.
Steele believes that the only way to prove that Mars ever had life is to bring samples to Earth. Six samples have been collected by the Perseverance Mars rover, and three dozen are desired.
After drifting through space for millions of years, the meteorite landed on an ice field. The name Allan Hills came from the hills where it was found.
This week, a piece of the meteorite was used in an experiment on the International Space Station. A mini scanning electron microscope looked at the sample. One day, researchers hope to use the microscope to analyze geologic samples in space, and debris that could ruin station equipment or endanger astronauts.
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