The Murchison meteorite was a meteorite that entered Earth's atmosphere in September, 1969. The meteor fragmented before impact and remnants were recovered near Murchison, Australia (located about 60 miles north of Melbourne). The fragments recovered dated to nearly five billion years ago--to the time greater than the estimated age of Earth. In addition to interest generated by the age of the meteorite, analysis of fragments revealed evidence of carbon based compounds. The finds have fueled research into whether the organic compounds were formed from inorganic processes or are proof of extraterrestrial life dating to the time of Earth's creation.

In particular, it was the discovery of amino acids—and the percentages of the differing types of amino acids found (e.g., the number of left handed amino acids vs. right handed amino acids--that made plausible the apparent evidence of extraterrestrial organic processes, as opposed to biological contamination...