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Surprising stories from the history of science told by Naomi Alderman and Philip Ball.

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Science Stories: The meteorite and the hidden hoax

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The meteorite and the hidden hoax

BBC Radio 4 - Science Stories, The meteorite and the hidden hoax

The riddle of the 19th century French meteorite that carried a secret for 100 years.

The riddle of the 19th century French meteorite that carried a secret for 100 years, and the possibility of alien life. 

In 1864 a strange type of rock fell from the sky above Orgueil in rural France. Shocked and frightened locals collected pieces of the peculiar, peaty blob from the surrounding fields, and passed them on to museums and scientists. 

At that time, a debate had been raging over the origin of life; Could life possibly form from mere chemicals? Or did it need some strange unidentified vital substance?

Into this debate fell the Orgueil meteorite, and because it seemed remarkably similar to loamy soil, some wondered whether it may hint at the existence of extra-terrestrial life.

The great Pasteur allegedly investigated, but disappointingly found no such thing. Nevertheless, the mere possibility prompted later ideas that the origin of life on earth indeed lay elsewhere in the universe, ideas that were greeted with varying degrees of skepticism over ensuing decades.

As Phil Ball narrates, given how much was at stake, and how bitterly scientists argued on either side, the most remarkable thing about the story is the extraordinary secret the meteorite kept to itself until exactly 100 years later. 

Producer: Alex Mansfield

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