[rolph]

A team of researchers from Plex Corporation, Bruker Scientific LLC and Harvard University > has found evidence of < a protein inside of a meteorite.

there is a mismatch between the title of that article and the level of confidence these researchers were expressing.

the preprint is here:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.11688

[eindiran]

I mean, the first sentence of the preprint is "This paper characterizes the first protein to be discovered in a meteorite." The Significance section states that "[the preprint] is the first report of a protein from any extra-terrestrial source." And they claim that their evidence[0] that the protein is not a terrestrial contaminant is quite strong, so I would say that the confidence level of the researchers matches the title exactly.

[0] For example, from the conclusion: "The average molecular deuterium excess above terrestrial is (25,700 ± 3,500)%, or a D/H ratio of (4.1 ± 0.5) x10^-3, comparable to cometary levels, interstellar levels and also equal to the highest prior report in micro-meteorites."

[rolph]

thats the preprint, if you look at the language used on the phys.org article there is a big difference between the two

[jessaustin]

One of the cites at the link is a previous paper on similar investigations of one of the same meteorites plus one other, that was published in 2015 in Meteoritics & Planetary Science, a journal with a long publication history. That paper is cited by two other papers from different authors. [0]

At some level, these researchers seem to be doing basic chemistry. Maybe they're not characterizing the implications correctly or maybe they haven't controlled contamination, but if proper research discovered extraterrestrial protein it would probably generate papers that looked like these.

[0] https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=8914643017753968792...

[rolph]

this is proper research as depicted by the publications linked to ref. [0].

the origin of the elements composing the organic compounds is very likely non terrestrial as indicated by isotopic ratios.

the time and nature of the assembly of these compounds is not apparent.

assembly may have been primordial involving cometary CN and production of polyglycine.

assembly may have been metallo-organic catalysis, at any time from formation of the parent "rock" chondrite, upto the time circa. discovery

a biological process may have been involved with assembly, after impact of the meteoric subject with earth.

the suitability of this material for exploitation by chemolithotrophic organisms in the past should not be overlooked

[rolph]

>> At some level, these researchers seem to be doing basic chemistry <<

what it looks like to me is that a couple just received a good research grant set up a laboratory in started putting it to good use. we need to find these polymers on samples that are still off world, or we need to be able to demonstrate such polymerization in an environment mimmicking conditions off planet.

[jessaustin]

"Basic" is not meant to be derogatory. They're chemists; that's what they should be doing. It would be more troubling if their results came from "novel" chemistry.

[driverdan]

It's bad writing. They also have this gem:

> but once the findings are confirmed...

which should be "but if the findings are confirmed"