Rain of red 'cells' in India

This was just published yesterday in the Journal ASTROPHYSICS & SPACE SCIENCE of a red rain in India, thought by the authors to have been associated with an airburst-sonic-boom meteor event.

For the study of the actual red rain and its 'cellular' content, be sure to study carefully the following:

arxiv.org/PS_cache/astro-ph/pdf/0601/0601022.pdf

The Abstract & Discussion section will give you a good idea

The photos of the 'cells' are quite interesting.

The red rain fell in an ellipse of the type expected in a meteor explosion of a fragile (hence disintegrating into a debris cloud) carbonaceous meteorite type, perhaps similar to the meteorite named Tagish Lake.

Fascinating link: www.astrobio.net/news/article206.html

Carbonaceous meteorites are rare (3%) of meteorite types.

Eamonn A

Just had a quick read through that article....for something the authors are claiming to be"biological like" there is a surprisingly low level of H. H2O is a major constituent of all life on earth...at only 4%H the amount of Water and other Organic compounds must be severly depleted, If the authors are sincere in claiming that these are biological cells then I think this low level of H may indicate a unique biochemistry which requires further study regardless of the origin of the cells. Those cells in the SEM look surprisingly like platlets. Although the TEM does not show any distinctive hollow??

just my 2 cents

That was precisely my thought And, yes, except for the dimple. Some of the scientists of India are among the best in the world, but, alas, others can be all too 'wide-eyed' due to cultural conditioning. I wonder about the authors of that report, but notice that one of the two doesn't have an Indian name. It seems to me they need to do a lot more work on their subject.

Eamonn A

Hi,

I've just had a scan through the article. It seems that the only reason for the 'biological' and 'organic' phrases is that there is a lot (40%) of carbon in the particles. The language is overly 'lifey' I think.

I also dont buy the conclusion that "The present study of red rain phenomenon of Kerala shows that the particles, which caused the red colouration of the red rain, are not possibly of terrestrial origin." They just havent convinced me of that in this article.

Cheers,
~Al

Al,

Yes, I agree with you 100% about the Indian paper. I noticed today that at least some of the 'cells' may be dimpled. I wish the material had been examined by more competent (including more thorough) researchers.

Of possibly related phenomena:

This was in a newspaper called "New Era", August 15, 1894 Humeston, Iowa:

"On December 24, 1856, at Lillebonne, France, a meteor fell, followed by a
red rain. Something- similar occurred in Syria in the year 1618."

In the "Progress Review", June 25, 1931 La Porte City, Iowa:
"Tons of Red Sediment in Downpour of Rain

Frederick Chapman, paleontologist of the Australian commonwealth, has
continued his observations on red rain in southeastern Australia which
he began in conjunction with H. J. Grayson In 1903. On the night of
December 31, 1927 after a strong northerly wind had carried thick
clouds of dust over Victoria and blown the finer particles southward
over Bass strait, there were heavy but irregularly distributed falls of
red rain. Mr. Chapman estimated the amount deposited in Balwyo, a
suburb eight miles east of Melbourne, at 51 3/4 tons to the square mile; the commonwealth meteorologist, H. A. Hunt, estimated the deposit at 24
tons to the square mile.

The red dust on this occasion was exceptionally sticky, as the innumerable
diatoms -nitzschia and cocconeis-still contained their endochrome.
The red stains on leaves and flowers in the gardens were retained
for days and even weeks. The impressions on glass indicate that
each raindrop was coated by a thin film of the dust. On November 3,
1920, after a northerly gale, showers of red rain fell at 7:00 p. m. and
after 9:00 p. m. The amount of the red sediment collected in a vessel
in Mr. Chapman's garden indicated(sp) a fall of 61 tons to the square mile, or,if it had been equally distributed over Victoria, a fall of nearly six million tons in that state.

Both the minute reddish flakes of sediment and the diatoms and sponge spicules show that the material had been derived from the arid regions in the west of Victoria and in central Australia.-Nature Magazine

Eamonn A

May be this is life, but not as we know it!

Latest update regarding the mystery red cells that might be be aliens.

www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/06/02/red.rain/index.html .

Eamonn A