Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village

[Krug]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070918/sc_afp/peruhealthoffbeat

 

[kenobi65]

Special Agents Mulder and Scully are en route.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Special Agents Mulder and Scully are en route.

So are the MiB.

 

[megamania]

Isn't that how one of the zombie flicks started?

 

[Ferret]

Because I lack anything witty, I guess it's just sulphur or similar bad chemicals either in the rock or in the earth it hit.

Call me Scully.

 

[trancejeremy]

Hmmmm, it was green (they have a photo in the news story).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Fireballs

 

[Ilium]

Hmmmm, it was green (they have a photo in the news story).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Fireballs

So what does that mean, chemically? Lots of copper?

 

[trancejeremy]

So what does that mean, chemically? Lots of copper?

If you want to be boring, yes. But it could also mean Aliens! If you read my link

 

[Ilium]

If you want to be boring, yes. But it could also mean Aliens! If you read my link

Well, sure. But they're aliens with bizarre copper-based re-entry shielding!

 

[trancejeremy]

It is pretty unusual to have a copper meteor, though. Most meteorites are either iron (90% iron, rest nickel), stone (sllicates), or stony iron (mixture of both).

Actually, Ferret is right, if it were copper in the meteor, it was probably copper-sulfate, and if it was pulverized in the impact, it would explain the smell and the sickness. They probably have mild copper poisoning.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002496.htm