When a meteor is discovered, even if its decent is observed, one cannot be certain as to what elements (in the formation of amino acids chemical formations located on the meteor) in fact came from outer space, or during entry to earths atmosphere, or while cooling on earth.
Terrestrial (earth) contamination of the outer part of a meteorite at the time of its fall is inevitable and in some cases this contamination has been observed to extend below the surficial fusion crust.”
https://www.pnas.org/content/96/16/8835
Because, by definition, amino acids merely require a double carbon bond to be classified as an amino acid. Amino acids are non-living chemicals. Based on these factors it is reported that over perhaps more than a dozen different amino acids have been identified on meteors. These structures do not resemble any amino acids used in living organisms, are all the wrong right-handed chirality, and are certainly exposed to contamination just simply by landing on planet earth.
“It’s really difficult to be 100% definitive in this because there’s still so may unknowns. Contamination will always be an issue.”
https://www.astrobio.net/meteoritescomets-and-asteroids/murchisons-amino-acids-tainted-evidence/
The contamination of meteorites by terrestrial (earth) amino acids * leaves a distinct amino acid fingerprint …and is an extremely rapid process.”
https://www.pnas.org/content/96/16/8835
* The researcher points out in the article that such terrestrial (earth) contamination extends to any and all left-handed amino acids or preexisting chemical structures known on earth such as: non-protein amino acids, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, ABA, D-enantiomers, or patterns similar to any bacteria or sediments known to be on earth. Essentially anything that has been used by any claim that meteors contain “building blocks” for life from outer-space!
(Evidence from meteor samples) strongly suggests that the amino acids (found) are terrestrial in origin (from earth); however, we cannot completely rule out that some of the amino acids (may have been) present in the meteorite when it fell to Earth.”
https://www.pnas.org/content/96/16/8835
“Because we found that the Nile River Delta sediment contains a distribution of amino acids similar to those present in (the meteor sample) …it is possible that bacterially derived amino acids present in the sediment porewaters penetrated the meteorite.”
https://www.pnas.org/content/96/16/8835
The best place to study meteors would be on another planet -other than earth (such as on the surface of Mars). Thereby virtually eliminating contamination and should provide significant insights as to the riddle of meteor contamination and to what extent it affects samples found on earth. However, even on Mars, humans and their equipment will likely contaminate samples to some extent. Although, we can expect scientists would virtually eliminate any such contamination and render such experimentation very useful and insightful.
It is likely that amino acid discoveries will be found on experiments on Mars or elsewhere outside of earth. In fact, it is likely that samples discovered on earth already may have amino acids formations which formed in space but unfortunately we cannot be 100% sure. It seems that any highly organized amino acid structure would not have formed on a meteor burning through our stratosphere.
However, we do believe amino acid formation on meteors are likely because the components of the chemical structure are comprised of some of the most common elements found in the universe (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc). Additionally, the strong chemical bond of carbon to carbon (double carbon bond defines an amino acid) should likely generate amino acid structures on meteors.
However, none of these common occurrences in chemistry even scratch the surface on rendering life possible. We are talking about chemical formation– not life! We must not lose sight of the facts: It is only life itself which both manufactures and consumes all twenty of the amino acids used in all life.
Even if we found all twenty of the identical amino acids used by life had fallen off a meteor and were floating in the perfect “warm primordial pool” we yet remain light years away from life spontaneously and randomly forming the first protein chain. But, even if we got our first protein chain to form, how would it be sustained in either an oxygen toxic atmosphere or in the destructive medium of water? We would also need to spontaneous form a protective proto-cellular membrane and cytoplasm to keep it safe. Additionally, all we have is a single protein, we need many thousands more (smallest life form yeast has 5,858 proteins comprised of 42 million molecules within a one cell.1 ) to form even the most “simple” life form. If we had all the above, how would our new life form reproduce itself without the advent of informational DNA code?
Dig deeper: Meteors do not contain amino acids used by life; Miller Urey experiment made the wrong chirality; Amino acids are non-living double carbon structures; Amino acids used by ALL life are only manufactured by ALL life;
1 https://www.sciencealert.com/simple-cell-has-42-million-protein-molecules-life-universe-everything
