An astronomer recounts the investigation by NASA scientists of a group of ancient asteroids that fell from Mars to Earth, relicts that revealed signs of primitive life on Mars, and explores the implications of the discovery. 40,000 first printing. This is the first book to attempt a full account of NASA's August 1996 announcement that an ancient Martian meteorite discovered in Antarctica may contain evidence of extraterrestrial life. Goldsmith treads carefully, knowing full well that this purported finding could become the cold fusion phenomenon of the 1990s--bogus science that misleads the public. The book shows several signs of its hasty composition, but such is the price of beating the competition to market. Mars fans may also want to examine The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin and Are We Alone? by Paul Davies. While this book understandably focuses on the now-famous Martian meteorite purported to harbor signs of ancient organisms?which would make it the first evidence of extraterrestrial life?respected astronomer Goldsmith (The Astronomers, LJ 3/15/91) is as keen for his readers to understand the scientific process involved in this discovery. He employs a sometimes distracting though generally useful analogy of a Simpson-like trial to describe the burden of proof that must be met by the scientists behind the startling August 1996 announcement. The history of the rock, from its formation on Mars and its discovery on Antarctica to its eventual identification, is effectively and succinctly related, leaving room for other quite valuable and interesting material on origin-of-life theories, the possibility of current life on Mars, and future missions to the continuously fascinating, surprising Red Planet. Recommended for popular science collections.?Patrick Dunn, East Tennessee State Univ. Libs., Johnson City Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. It is hard to imagine anything more cosmically significant than the discovery of evidence of life on Mars. When news of a forthcoming Science article about a remarkable four-pound meteorite named ALH 84001, the oldest rock known to humankind, was leaked to the mainstream press in August 1996, the scientists involved were forced to forgo professional protocol and come forward with their earth-shaking data. In the ensuing excitement, many of the finer details of their research were glossed over. Accomplished science popularizer and astronomer Goldsmith preserves the story of ALH 84001, from its discovery on the ice of Antarctica in 1984 by Roberta Score to the realization, 10 years later, that not only was this "weird" rock Martian but it was also inlaid with carbonate globules and what might be traces of tiny single-cell organisms. Goldsmith's lively interviews with key players personalize this riveting tale of discovery and ongoing debate about the origin of life on Earth, its possible connection to life on Mars, and the future of Mars exploration. An engaging, comprehensive, and timely book on one of our age's most profound quests. Donna Seaman Goldsmith (who edited the 1991 PBS series on astronomy and wrote its companion volume, The Astronomers) reports on the biggest science story of 1996: NASA's claim to have discovered that life once existed on Mars. The fuss is over ALH 84001--the first meteorite discovered in the Allan Hills of Antarctica in 1984. ALH 84001 had generated considerable excitement even before the NASA announcement, because, at 4.5 billion years, it is the oldest extraterrestrial rock ever found. (Goldsmith fascinatingly explains how the knowledge gained from another Martian rock, EETA 79001, allowed scientists to establish radiometric dating for ALH 84001.) Ancient life was suggested when carbonates, or sedimentary elements, were found within the otherwise volcanic ALH 84001, and still further studies revealed the now-famous, microscopic ovoids that seem to resemble bacteria. If the ovoids were once alive, however, they were smaller than anything ever discovered on Earth, and, the scientists who examined ALH 84001--astronomers, geologists, and chemists rather than biologists--reported no cell walls or cellular byproducts. The lack of biological evidence led the eminent biologist Edward Anders, whom Goldsmith colorfully describes and quotes at length, to say, ``This is half-baked work that should not have been published.'' Of course, the researchers never really claimed to have found life, only its suggestion, and the media quickly distorted the story, but Anders makes strong arguments. At most, ALH 84001, because of its carbonates, may only prove that liquid water once existed on Mars. That fact alone makes it a remarkable rock. Goldsmith interviewed every principal and has a great ability to write entertainingly without dumbing down his material, but the story of ALH 84001 is an unfolding one. His book will have a short but vigorous life, the best account available until new ones supersede it. (15 b&w photos, not seen) (First printing