# Inspector task sheet

Pitch Lake: life hidden inside the asphalt

## 1. Trace the earliest accessible record

For Pitch Lake: life hidden inside the asphalt, record author or storyteller, collection date, language, translation, page and exact scope. Distinguish evidence of a story being told from evidence of its events. Note which full documents remain unavailable.

Status: proposed; not completed.
Evidence found:
Source and page:
Limits:
Next action:

## 2. Investigate the central question

Compare sampling locations, contamination controls, chemistry and activity measures in the original studies. Distinguish DNA detection from demonstrated metabolism. Evaluate deep-origin inference against the stated isotopic evidence and alternatives. Treat astrobiological comparison as hypothesis testing, not a discovery elsewhere.

Status: proposed; not completed.
Evidence found:
Source and page:
Limits:
Next action:

## 3. Compare explanations without merging evidence

Compare additional independently sampled droplets and surrounding material with contamination controls. Compare subsurface and surface-water signatures and test alternative mixing histories. Preserve contradictions and unsuccessful searches; proposed work remains unperformed.

Status: proposed; not completed.
Evidence found:
Source and page:
Limits:
Next action: