According to Professor Lipschutz, the pattern of oxygen isotopes in the Tagish Lake meteorite reveals its early origin. Because the rock fell into ice, it is considered one of the best-preserved samples from our early Solar System, and, unlike many of the meteorites recovered on Earth, has not undergone substantial heating sometime in its history. Dr Ian Lyon from the department of Earth Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK, said it was a very significant discovery. The fact that the sample was kept cold means scientists have a chance of looking for primitive organic materials that would normally be destroyed by heating, and perhaps might be related to rudimentary lifeforms. But in order to understand the sort of organic materials that were present in the very early Solar System, we need to understand the processes that might have built up these very primitive organic materials.
Some scientists believe life on Earth originated from outer space.
Further analysis of the Tagish Lake meteorite could reveal clues about whether rudimentary forms of life might have come from beyond our planet, perhaps brought to Earth on a meteorite.