Is It Raining Aliens?

[FireGarden]

Is It Raining Aliens?

Admittedly,
the claim is by a solid-state physicist who has...

published a paper in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Astrophysics and Space Science in which he hypothesizes that the samples -- water taken from the mysterious blood-colored showers that fell sporadically across Louis’s home state of Kerala in the summer of 2001 -- contain microbes from outer space.

Based on the spores reproducing without DNA.

The next significant step, explains University of Sheffield microbiologist Milton Wainwright, who is part of another British team now studying Louis’s samples, is to confirm whether the cells truly lack DNA. So far, one preliminary DNA test has come back positive. “Life as we know it must contain DNA, or it’s not life,” he says. “But even if this organism proves to be an anomaly, the absence of DNA wouldn’t necessarily mean it’s extraterrestrial.”

They don't explain that one positive DNA-test.

They're going to try carbon isotope tests to see if its terrestrial. I assume that means the samples have been on ice since 2001, and not reproducing using Earth carbon.

 

[Meffy]

They're algae. There've been a couple threads on the JREF forums already, I forget which ones.

[edit] Ah, here's one of 'em: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57939

 

[FireGarden]

Thanks, Meffy
I'll post there.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

There are hundreds of threads on this topic on many forums. Here's one from the BAUT forum that has a wealth of information. Ian Goddard's posts are most informative including having an email response from persons directly involved.