A new study into the Tissint meteorite, which crash-landed in Morocco in 2011, revealed a wide array of organic compounds hidden in the rare space rock.
A Martian meteorite that crashed to Earth 12 years ago contains a"huge diversity" of organic compounds, including one that has never been seen on Mars before, a new study has found. The findings could help scientists understand more about the Red Planet’s habitability and whether it potentially once harbored life, researchers said.
In a new study, published Jan. 11 in the journal Science Advances , researchers analyzed fragments of the meteorite and found examples of at least five different types of organics compounds. The Tissint meteorite contained organic magnesium compounds, which are"extremely abundant" throughout the meteorite and have never been detected in Martian samples before, researchers wrote in the study. The team believes that these compounds were formed in the high-pressure and high-temperature conditions of Mars' ancient mantle , meaning they are non-biological and could reveal clues about how the Red Planet’s deep interior was shaped.
This is not the first time organic compounds have been discovered within a Martian meteorite. The Allan Hills 84001 meteorite, or ALH 84001, which crash-landed in Antarctica in 1984, contained several organic compounds; their discovery sparked years of debate about whether these compounds could have been formed by ancient Martian life forms. But in July, 2022, researchers discovered that the compounds within ALH 84001 were likely created by basic geological reactions billions of years ago.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Naked eye comet that may never return to Earth captured in video and photosComet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) could become faintly visible to the naked eye prior to its close approach to Earth on February 1.
Read more »
Scientists' new stardust recipe could strengthen materials on EarthAn international team used a sounding rocket to test dust particles in microgravity and compile their stardust recipe.
Read more »
Revolutionary SBSP tech will try to beam solar power to Earth from spaceA new renewable energy mission will try to use SBSP tech to try to beam solar power directly down from space.
Read more »
JV Article: Defense Metals closes in on pre-feasibility for its Wicheeda rare-earth projectJV Article: “Wicheeda is as close in character to the Mountain Pass deposit as one can hope. In my opinion, Wicheeda has the best chance to be the next significant rare-earth producer,” William Bird, director and advisor to DefenseMetals $DEFN.V BC ree
Read more »
A geochemical journey from the center of the EarthYale researchers have a new theory to explain some of the geochemistry of 'hotspots'—magma plumes from deep in the Earth that erupt at the surface.
Read more »
A Flip of Earth’s Magnetic Poles 42,000 Years Ago May Have Led to Mass ExtinctionsThe research used precise carbon dating obtained from ancient tree fossils to map its results.
Read more »