The new meteorite was named Sayh al Uhaymir 094 after the region of desert where the team found it and more than 180 other meteorites. The team, in a statement, said they were certain it would contribute to rapidly growing knowledge of the planet. Interest increased in 1996 after a Martian meteorite found near the South Pole, known as Allen Hills 84001, showed possible remnants of life. But such arguments “are hardly taken as solid evidence today,” the research team said. Most earlier meteorites from Mars were found in the Antarctic before scientists turned their attention to deserts in recent years.