[UNM]. Scientists at the University of New Mexico have played a key role in identifying a rare, 4.1-billion-year-old Martian meteorite that provides new evidence that the Red Planet may have […]
Meteorites & Asteroids
![Illustration of the spatial distribution and proposed origin of the molecular species discussed in this work, including the tentative FeS emission. Left: H2O v2 = 1 and NaCl emission maps toward Orion SrcI reported by A. Ginsburg et al. (2018). Right: schematic view of the proposed distinction between species associated with the outflow and those tracing the disk midplane, based on the results presented here (Table 1) and those of A. Ginsburg et al. (2018, 2019). -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Tentative-Detection.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Tentative Detection of FeS toward Orion SrcI
[astro-ph.GA] Iron sulfide (FeS) is a key refractory compound in astrophysical environments. It is commonly found in meteorites and evidence of FeS has only been reported in solid form in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Intimate Link Between Prebiotic Chemistry And Meteorites: Mechanisms Of Organic Molecule Formation
[Astrobiology (Journal) via PubMed] Whether meteorites brought ingredients necessary for the origin of life exogenously or they were produced endogenously on early Earth, having a prebiotic chemical inventory of organic […]
![a) Large area EDS map of Nantan meteorite sample showing the distribution of detected elements. b) XPS SnapMaps of Nantan fragment showing the distribution of Fe and Ni. c) XRF maps of individual elements detected, with a focus on Fe and Ni. Three regions of interest are circled which were analyzed further, high Ni (green), low Ni (red), and the large inclusion (orange). -- [physics.geo-ph]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Correlative.png?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids
Correlative Microstructural Analysis of a Weathered Nantan Meteorite Fragment
[physics.geo-ph]. The weathering of iron-rich phases within meteorites is a multi-stage process that significantly alters the microstructure and chemical composition based both on the environmental condition at the location of […]
Posted inImpact events
Impact Crater Hydrothermal Systems Support Rapid Microbial Enrichment and Diverse Metabolic Potential
[Geobiology ] Impact crater hydrothermal systems, formed after asteroid and comet impacts, have been proposed as promising habitats for life on early Earth and as key targets in the search […]
![Initial 𝑎c–𝑒c distribution of the 32,000 comets used in each end-to-end calculation. Dashed lines mark the semimajor axes of P7 and P8. The circular and eccentric planet calculations use identical comet initial states.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Planetary.png?resize=1200%2C604&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Planetary Eccentricity Enhances Inward Comet Transport But Suppresses Gentle Impacts
[astro-ph.EP] Comets can supply volatile and prebiotic material to rocky planets, but survival of fragile molecules depends on atmospheric entry and impact. Compact planet chains can transfer comets inward at […]
![Illustration of the different size averages for Renazzo (after the data of Ebel et al. (2024)) on a back-scattered electron image of polished section 719sp3 of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle collection (Jacquet et al., 2012).-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Chondrule.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology
Chondrule Size Averaging In Two And Three Dimensions
[astro-ph.EP] Chondrule sizes are an important discriminant of chondrite groups and chondrule formation theories. Yet most studies report 2D sizes without attempting the somewhat tedious corrections to 3D proposed in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Nonequilibrium Formation of C4 Carbonyls in Interstellar Ices Linked to Amino Acids
[ACS Central Science] Complex organic molecules in interstellar ices and carbonaceous asteroids record key steps in the chemical evolution toward life, yet the origin of branched carbonyl compounds a fundamental […]
Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy
A Missing Continental Impact Melt Sheet Signal In The Early Earth Detrital Zircon Record
[Nature Communications] Impact-derived melting has been proposed as a significant process in the formation of Earth’s early crust which could mean that impact melts are a source for Earth’s oldest […]
![Experimental schematic for sequential extraction of soluble organic material from meteorites for analysis by FT-ICR MS and HR-AFM. -- [Planetary Science Journal]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Direct-Molecular.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Direct Molecular-scale Insight Into Soluble Organic Matter From The Murchison and Aguas Zarcas Meteorites
[Planetary Science Journal] Organic material in the Murchison and Aguas Zarcas meteorites preserves molecular records of early solar system chemistry and potential precursors to life.