A strange meteorite seen over Sri Lanka in late 2012 led to a claim that still sparks debate today. In a controversial paper published in 2013, researchers said fragments from the object may have contained fossil-like remains of microscopic algae embedded inside the rock itself.
The study appeared in the Journal of Cosmology and involved scientists from Cardiff University, Sri Lanka, and the United States. The researchers argued that the discovery could support the idea that life exists elsewhere in the universe and may even travel through space aboard comets and meteorites.
Witnesses reported seeing a bright yellow fireball turn green as it crossed the sky above the Polonnaruwa region on December 29, 2012. Local police later collected fragments from the area and sent them to the Medical Research Institute in Colombo for examination.
The team said more than 600 samples were gathered after the event. Only three of those fragments were considered possible meteorites, based on the analyses described in the paper.
Tiny Mysterious Shapes Discovered in Rocks
When scientists examined material taken from deep inside the stones, they reported finding tiny structures between 10 and 40 micrometers wide. The paper published in the Journal of Cosmology described the shapes as closely resembling diatoms, a type of microscopic known for their intricate silica shells.
One fragment was later analyzed at Cardiff University using scanning electron microscopy and several chemical tests. Researchers said some of the structures appeared deeply embedded in the surrounding mineral material rather than sitting on the surface.
That detail became a key part of their argument. The team claimed the formations were unlikely to be the result of recent contamination after the meteorite landed on Earth.
The Rock’s Composition Analyzed
The scientists also carried out elemental analysis on the samples. The study stated that the structures showed no detectable traces of nitrogen. They argued that this absence pointed to ancient biological remains rather than modern living organisms. In the paper, the team said that:
“Preliminary inspection of a few of the SEM images revealed the presence of a number of highly carbonaceous biological structures. Some of these were deeply integrated in the surrounding mineral matrix indicating they could not have been recent biological contaminants.”
The article also noted that the objects were integrated into the mineral matrix of the rock. For the authors, that supported the idea that thematerial existed before the meteorite reached Earth.
Alien Life Debate Explodes Again
Dr. N. Wickramasinghe, one of the study’s senior authors from the University of Buckingham, strongly defended the interpretation. Speaking to Sri Lanka’s The Island news site, he said the patterns visible on the structures could only be produced through biological processes.
“I think the discovery of an unequivocal microbial structure such as a diatom, deeply trapped in the rock matrix, proves beyond doubt that this life existed in the parent comet from which the meteorite was derived,” he said.
The findings quickly attracted attention because they touched on thelong-debated theory of panspermia; the idea that life may spread across space through comets, asteroids, or meteorites. Even years later, the Polonnaruwa meteorite remains one of the most talked-about examples tied to possible extraterrestrial microfossils.
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