A recent study shows that microbes can become more virulent in space, while a meteor strike in Peru may have had some unusual effects on the locals, as reported here and here.
Finally, here's a recent reflection on Robert Heinlein, who helped invent modern SF.
...a meteor strike in Peru may have had some unusual effects on the locals...
Nothing extraterrestrial about the effects on the locals: The meteorite heated up a water supply contaminated with arsenic; the fumes were breathed in by many people in the area at the time.
