McMaster researcher probes rare meteorite for clues about origins of life

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.