CI1 fossils refer to alleged morphological evidence ofmicrofossils found in five CI1carbonaceous chondritemeteorite fall: Alais,Orgueil, Ivuna, Tonk and Revelstoke. The research was published in March 2011 in thefringeJournal of Cosmology byRichard B. Hoover, an engineer. However, NASA distanced itself from Hoover's claim and his lack of expert peer-reviews.[1]
Hoover's team used Environmental (ESEM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) to analyze the meteorite samples, studying internal surfaces. Hoover also produced electron micrographs which he believes resemble the shape oftrichomiccyanobacteria and other trichomicprokaryotes such as thefilamentous sulfur bacteria. For comparison, Hoover compared the samples to those of terrestrial minerals and biological materials. Hoover concludes from these results that the CI1 fossils are indigenous to the samples.[2]
The claims were initially submitted to theInternational Journal of Astrobiology, which rejected the paper,[3] but were eventually published by thefringeJournal of Cosmology. NASA distanced itself from Hoover's claims,[3] and the claims were debunked soon after publication.[4]
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