Journal of Astrobiology & Outreach

Department of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland

Publications

• Case Series   
  Conceivable Microalgae-like Ancient Martian Fossils and Terran Analogues MER Opportunity Heritage
  Author(s): Jozef Kazmierczak*
  
  The finding of life on Mars, existing now or in the past, will certainly be one of the greatest adventures in the history of mankind. Further arguments are provided, strengthening an earlier claim, that among mineral bodies (dubbed “newberries”), imaged by the MER Opportunity in deposits of Late Noachian age (~3.8 to 3.6 Ga) exposed at the rim of Endeavour Crater (Matijevic Formation) objects occur that resemble fossils of Terran unicellular and colonial microalgae. The previously claimed algal affinities of these fossil objects is now supported by examples of “newberries” showing the presence of internal structures highly similar to daughter colonie characteristic for Terran volvocalean algae and cell-like objects enclosing objects reminiscent of chloroplasts characteristic for modern and fossil unicellular green and yellow green algae. A .. View more»
  

  Abstract PDF