The southern districts of Kottayam and Idukki of Kerala witnessed an unusual phenomenon on July 25 to September 23, 2001 when the rain was unusually red tinged. Colored rainfall in Kerala had been reported as early as 1986 and on several instances since then, the most recent of which was in June of 2012. In 2006, red rain in Kerala gained widespread media attention when scientists from Mahatma Gandhi University proposed that the colored particles were extraterrestrial cells. Under electron microscope the solid pigment separated from water resembled biological cells. Initially, official reports indicated that the red pigment was dispersed by an exploding meteor, but later, following more thorough evaluation, cells resembled spores of lichen-forming algae belonging to the genus Trentepohlia. On further investigation, it was discovered that these areas had abundance of such type of algae in trees, rocks and even lamp posts.
