602 Annals New York Academy of Sciences 



claimed to be ragweed pollen by Fitch and Anders, have also been found by 

 different investigators at different laboratories at different times. 



In our opinion the probability of terrestrial contamination is a most serious 

 problem. However, the control experiments described in this report and 

 previously (Claus and Nagy, 1961; Nagy el al., 1962) strongly indicate that 

 the organized elements (or most of them) are not terrestrial contaminants. Yet 

 it must always be borne in mind that even unusual contaminants may become 

 included easily in a sample. Microscopical preparations of an Orgueil meteor- 

 ite sample provided through the courtesy of Fitch and Anders for us to study, 

 contained fragments of a Compsopogou filament (a not too common species 

 of Rhodophyta), individuals of Chlorella, a rare species of Ndgeliella, antennae 

 of Cladocerae, sqamae of Tilia leaves, and emergentia of unknown origin. 

 Although the organized elements were clearly visible, the presence of the 

 aquatic contaminants suggested more of a sample of a Recent sediment than 

 that of a carbonaceous meteorite. 



The Diverse Morphology of Organized El erne ills 



An examination of approximately 400 microscopical preparations of car- 

 bonaceous meteorites, and related material, has as of now revealed 30 distinct 

 morphological types of organized elements. Other investigators (Staplin, 

 1962; Palik, 1962, 1963; Ross, 1963) found several other types. None of these 

 organized elements seems to be identical to known terrestrial species, although 

 they resemble them. 



Organisms can be classified into four symmetry groups. The simplest 

 symmetry group is the sphere, and the most advanced one is the bilateral type. 

 (Asymmetrical categories can be derived from each of the four groups.) Trig- 

 onal symmetry is the least common among terrestrial organisms. Organized 

 elements, however, often fall into this class. Organized elements contain 

 examples of each of the symmetry categories (see figures 6, a and b; 1, a and 

 b; 8, a, b, and c; 9, a and b; 10, a, b, c, and d; 11a; 12, a and b; and 13, a and b). 



Conclusions 



Consideration of the fine morphology, physical and chemical tests, staining 

 with biological stains, and further evaluation of contaminations suggest that 

 the Orgueil, Ivuna, Tonk, and Alais carbonaceous meteorites contain indige- 

 nous, organic microstructures which seem to be of biogenic origin. Full proof of 

 the indigenous and biological nature of the organized elements is still not 

 available but the indications seem to be strong. 



It has been shown that fine morphological criteria are of diagnostic value. 

 As a matter of fact, microbiologists and morphologists are using such criteria 

 every day in a variety of problems. It has been shown, as it is known to many 

 investigators, that morphological features of 0.3 ^ size can be observed and 

 identified by optical microscopy. The value of morphological criteria was 

 noted by Fournier (1962) when he stated at the First International Conference 

 on Palynology, that a worker in biology . . . "classifies his pollen based on 

 morphological features alone, a fact that has proven no detriment to his work." 



The criticisms of Fitch and Anders have been considered and found to be 

 unacceptable. A critical, systematic and objective evaluation of the organized 



