Studies by an Iowa State University professor are helping lend evidence to the theory there may’ve once been life on Mars. Dennis Bazylinski says N-A-S-A found a link between tiny magnetic crystals in a meteorite from Mars and his research.The crystals match those found in a bacterium he grows in his lab. Bazylinski is an associate professor of microbiology in Ames. He says the link between the crystals and his lab cultures is solid evidence of possible Martian life. The crystals are only made through biological processes of organisms. He says he’s long been a skeptic of the possibility of life on Mars, but is now re-thinking the idea.Bazylinski says the magnetic crystals are used as a sort of compass to align with the magnetic field of the earth and guide the bacteria away from danger in water. He says it may take a visit to Mars before the issue of life on Mars is answered for good. The Mars meteorite was found in Antarctica in 1984. Bazylinski was part of a team that helped N-A-S-A research the crystals.
Iowa's Radio News Network
