Testing Space Rocks for signs of life: HELP asap.?

Have you read the book, "The Rock From Mars?"

In it, they tested the Martian meteorite for PAH's. I can't remember what that stands for exactly, but, basically, there are by products produced by living organisms that cannot be created by nature in any known way. Presence of these materials is evidence of life in the rock, even if from the past; but this is debated as some scientists say that there are abiotic methods of producing these organic chemicals.

The problem is contamination. The Martian meteor was contaminated by bacteria that was living in the Antarctic ice where it waited tens of thousands of years to be discovered.

Or was it?

The debate still rages on, about ten years later, and with other Martian meteorites that have been found since.

Visit the sources, and they will explain the different procedures used for determining if there was life within these rocks.

El Chistoso