March 08, 2006
from
Rediff Website
On July 25, 2001, blood-red rain fell
over Kerala. The unusual phenomenon continued for two months,
raining crimson, turning clothes pink, burning leaves on trees. In
some places, the rain fell in scarlet sheets.
Scientists were shocked, and the government ordered an
investigation. Scientists concluded that the rain was red because
winds had swept up dust from Arabia and dumped it on Kerala. But Dr
Godfrey Louis, a Reader in Physics at the School of Pure and Applied
Physics at the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala, was
not convinced.
He diligently gathered rain samples and, after months of painstaking
research, concluded: 'The red particles, which caused the red rain
of Kerala, are of extraterrestrial origin.'
His colleagues -- other scientists and physicists -- frowned at the
conclusion. But Dr Louis stuck to his theory. His scientific
conclusions have now received international support. Dr Milton
Wainwright of the micro-biology Department at Sheffield University
in Britain has been examining some of the particles of the red rain
samples that hit Kerala. And he has come out in support of Dr Louis'
theory that the rains could belong to an alien life form.
"I am indeed thrilled that my
scientific conclusions have received international support and
recognition," Dr Louis told rediff.com New Scientist Magazine,
in its March cover story, has published the red rain phenomenon
along with the doctor's theory.
How did he come to this conclusion, we
asked. Dr Louis says the phenomenon first occurred at the place
close to where he lives in Kerala.
"The characteristics were very
strange. Conventional explanations appeared totally inadequate. I
started an investigation with limited resources and was greatly
assisted by my research student A Santhosh Kumar," he says.
How did their investigations bring them to their interesting
conclusion?
"We arrived at it by analyzing the various aspects
associated with the phenomenon, like the geographical and time
distribution pattern, and the nature of the particles," he says.
These are the findings:
The phenomenon can be explained easily if it is assumed that the
origin of the red particles is from cometary fragments, which
underwent atmospheric disintegration above Kerala.
There is additional correlating evidences that prompts this line of
thinking, like the sonic boom from the meteor airburst, which
preceded the first red rain case. Having made a logical possibility
like this, it follows that the cometary body in question should
contain a huge quantity of these red particles, which amounts to an
estimated quantity of more than 50,000 kg.
What makes this finding most important is the biological cell-like
nature of the particles. Under an optical microscope, they appear
like biological cells. Transmission Electron Microscopy further
shows a clear cell structure (Image above). Their organic nature is
indicated by the major presence of carbon and oxygen. But, despite
these biological indications, the cells do not show the presence of
DNA. The genetic molecule DNA is present in all living organisms
found on Earth, so the absence of DNA argues against the biological
nature of these cells.
There is thus the possibility of alternate biomolecules in these
cells, whose origin is suspected as extraterrestrial. This way, the
cells may represent an alternate form of life from space. If these
are such biological cells, then their production in huge quantity
inside cometary bodies can be explained by the theory of cometary
panspermia.
But, what if these new scientific ideas are wrong? Dr Louis says
that, if they are, he wants a better explanation for the phenomenon
and the strange nature of the cells.
"If these cells have a
terrestrial origin, then it follows that they exist in huge
quantities in some part of the Earth and are sure to have been
noticed by some microbiologists. But there appears to be no such
identification so far," he says.
Dr Louis' theory was initially ridiculed, but has now been accepted
for research by international scientists like Dr Wainwright. His
research has also been accepted for publication in the reputed
international journal Astrophysics and Space Science. He is soon
gearing up to publish the next set of results and conduct several
collaborative studies to further unravel the mystery of the cells.
|