Evidence of Extraterrestrial Microbial Life Found?

[RocketMan]

Fox News is reporting that a NASA scientist has found fossil evidence of microbial life in meteorites.  The story is here.  The paper published in the Journal of Cosmology is here.

We've been down this road before, with claims of fossil microorganisms in meteorites found in Antartica that were thought to have come from Mars.  Those findings from a team led by David McKay of NASA's Johnson Space Center are still quite controversial.

The new claims made were made by Dr. Richard B. Hoover, an astrobiologist with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and are sure to shake things up a bit (a definite understatement if the study is found to be accurate).  The Journal of Cosmology has some well credentialed people on board, and they have called for heavy peer review of the paper and its claims.
What is the take on the subject here at APS?

[MillCreek]

Boy, oh boy, I am going to be following this one closely.  Although I have not read the paper, only the linked article, at first blush, his methodology to ensure a fresh sample free of Terrestrial contamination seems promising. The real issue here is if his microscopy findings are explicable only by fossilized biological activity as opposed to chemical or other physical processes. I remember well the ongoing controversy over the Antarctica meteorites on this very issue. 

[Lee]

The implications are that life is everywhere, and that life on Earth may have come from other planets.

I'm not a rocket scientist, and trying better to understand.  Why is that is such a big deal if proven to be true?  Is it a religious debacle about where life was first created or something?  I think that most lay people assume there is some type of life, somewhere, in the infinity of space...and the Pope already covered his butt on this. A splash of stray bacteria does not invalidate the creation story.   Or, is it that it contradicts the existing body of scientific opinion?     

[41magsnub]

I read that book...  it was an NSA plot using a planted rock!  

[Nick1911]

I'm not a rocket scientist, and trying better to understand.  Why is that is such a big deal if proven to be true?  Is it a religious debacle about where life was first created or something?  I think that most lay people assume there is some type of life, somewhere, in the infinity of space...and the Pope already covered his butt on this. A splash of stray bacteria does not invalidate the creation story.   Or, is it that it contradicts the existing body of scientific opinion?     

I wonder this myself.

[MillCreek]

I'm not a rocket scientist, and trying better to understand.  Why is that is such a big deal if proven to be true?  Is it a religious debacle about where life was first created or something?  I think that most lay people assume there is some type of life, somewhere, in the infinity of space...and the Pope already covered his butt on this. A splash of stray bacteria does not invalidate the creation story.   Or, is it that it contradicts the existing body of scientific opinion?     

I think there is life outside the Earth as well, but I will be excited to see the first confirmed evidence of this.  I see it as data to prove the hypothesis of Extraterrestrial life.

[gunsmith]

 I like to think of myself as a Christian ( or a catho-holic with no church ) except for the past 5 or 6 yrs have not attended any services and only have done foxhole type of praying, nonetheless a Christian.

I've always thought that life on earth is a result of microbes somehow reaching the earth from a meteor or something.
Even if it turns out that the earth was seeded a few billion yrs ago by some "alien" beings I still believe God created the universes (s) .

I hope the rock does have proof of "alien" life.

I am keeping my powder dry though because if all you city folk become pod people I may have to go into shtf mode.

[RocketMan]

I am keeping my powder dry though because if all you city folk become pod people I may have to go into shtf mode.

Muwhahahahaha!  Your guns won't help you!