On 6th August 1996, David S. McKay of NASA, through a paper in journal Science announced that the ALH 84001 meteorite may contain primitive life-forms. The meteorite was found in 1984 and is considered one of the oldest pieces of the solar system – almost 4.1 billion years old. It is speculated that the meteorite originated on planet Mars and landed on the earth almost 13,000 years ago. A meteorite impact on Mars around 17 million years ago is said to have dislodged ALH 84001 from the planet.
The meteorite was discovered on 27th December 1984 in Allan Hills, Antarctica by a team of U.S. meteorite hunters.
