Meteorites & Asteroids Archives

Illustration of new research findings in the Lappajärvi crater, Finland, where traces of ancient life have been discovered in the crater’s fractures. The magnified section highlights the blue-marked fracture zones where microbial signatures have been identified. Credit: Henrik Drake, Gordon Osinski

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, People Of Astrobiology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return

Discovery Links Microbial Colonization To An Ancient Meteorite Crater

by Keith CowingSeptember 18, 2025September 18, 2025

In a scientific breakthrough with cosmic implications, researchers have, for the first time, precisely dated the emergence of microbial life within a meteorite impact crater—revealing that life not only survives […]

Meteorite heading through Earth's atmosphere -- Grok via Astrobiology.com

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Century-Scale Effect Of Climate Change On Meteorite Falls

by Keith CowingAugust 28, 2025

Climate change is inducing a global atmospheric contraction above the tropopause (~10 km), leading to systematic decrease in neutral air density.

Impact velocities and first contact pressures relevant to OW for ice (solid, black) and basalt (dashed, gray) projectiles into ice targets at a representative span of impact angles between 15° and 75°. Shock studies of biota (green) or biologically relevant molecules (black) shown along the y-axes; impactors in the inner solar system shown at the top for context. Vertical orange, teal, and magenta bars indicate the average impact velocity of heliocentric impactors calculated by Zahnle et al. (2008); Nesvorný et al. (2023)a; Martins et al. (2013)b; Goldman et al. (2010)c; Blank et al. (2001)d; Furukawa et al. (2015)e; Horneck et al. (2001); Burchell (2007); Stöffler et al. (2007); Burchell et al. (2014)f; Traspas & Burchell 2021 g; O’Brien & Sykes (2011)h; Le Feuvre & Wieczorek (2008). -- Planetary Science Journal

Enceladus, Europa, Extinction events, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance

by Keith CowingAugust 12, 2025

Evidence for the beneficial role of impacts in the creation of urable or habitable environments on Earth prompts the question of whether meteorite impacts could play a similar role at […]

The McDonough Meteorite is likely over 4.56 billion years old. (Photo by Cade Massey)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

University of Georgia Analyzes And Names A New Meteorite

by Keith CowingAugust 11, 2025August 11, 2025

A mysterious extraterrestrial visitor now has a permanent home and identity, thanks to University of Georgia researchers.

Distribution of sample locations across sabkha units of different ages along the northern coast of the United Arab Emirates. (a) Sampling locations at various outcrops, including Sample A from modern deposits and Samples B and C from a young sabkha terrace. (b) Detailed view of the sampling site for Sample A in the modern sabkha. (c) Image of the lower sabkha terrace where Samples B and C were collected, along with the location of Sample E, which was obtained from a precipitated brine in modern sabkha waters. (d) Upper sabkha terrace showing the sampling site for Sample D. (e) Overview of the five analyzed samples used for protein studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences via PubMed

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Comparing Protein Stability in Modern and Ancient Sabkha Environments: Implications for Molecular Remnants on Ancient Mars

by Keith CowingAugust 6, 2025August 6, 2025

Understanding the mechanisms of protein preservation in extreme environments is essential for identifying potential molecular biosignatures on Mars.

The number fraction of ordinary (NC, red thick) and carbonaceous (CC, blue thin) chondrites as a function of shock degree. The data are taken from the previous studies3,4. The corresponding approximate shock pressure of each shock degree is also shown on the top x-axis. -- Nature Communications via PubMed

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Impact-driven Oxidation Of Organics Explains Chondrite Shock Metamorphism Dichotomy

by Keith CowingJuly 29, 2025July 29, 2025

Shocked meteorites can be used to probe the dynamics of the early Solar system. Carbonaceous chondrites are less shocked than ordinary chondrites, regardless of the degree of aqueous alteration.

Stromatolite lamination architectural types and associated examples

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Sample Return, Status Report

Laminae As Potential Biosignatures

by Keith CowingJuly 27, 2025July 27, 2025

Laminae are millimeter-scale features in rocks created by physiochemical processes that can be influenced by the presence and activities of communities of organisms that occur as biofilms and microbial mats.

Conceptualization of Nankoweap landslide that brought down large boulders of Kaibab Limestone from the cliffs at left and created a geologically short-lived paleolake in Grand Canyon. Credit Karl Karlstrom

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

Link Established Between A Grand Canyon Landslide And The Meteor Crater Impact Event

by Keith CowingJuly 16, 2025July 16, 2025

Geology is full of detective stories about Earth’s history, and a new paper in Geology by University of New Mexico Distinguished Professors Emeritus Karl Karlstrom and Laurie Crossey, along with […]

Schematic depiction of a bow shock flow. Meteoroid entry results in the bow shock wave (red line). The box illustrates stream lines around the object. Heated medium due to the bow shock immediately cools down with expansion process. Turbulent flow happens at the tail region through a growth of an instability, leading to mixing of material ablated from the projectile with the atmosphere. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Titan

Modeling Atmospheric Alteration on Titan: Hydrodynamics and Shock-Induced Chemistry of Meteoroid Entry

by Keith CowingJuly 16, 2025July 16, 2025

Meteoroid entry into planetary atmospheres generates bow shocks, resulting in high-temperature gas conditions that drive chemical reactions.

Core 1494Da Hemoglycin, ball and stick model. Atom labels: Hydrogen white, Carbon black, Nitrogen blue, Oxygen red, Iron green. -- physics.chem-ph

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Space-filling Efficiency And Optical Properties Of Hemoglycin

by Keith CowingJuly 16, 2025July 16, 2025

The empty, extensive low-density lattice topology of hemoglycin is examined to understand how in space, and possibly as early as 800M years into cosmic time a rod-like polymer of glycine […]

Meteorites & Asteroids

Discovery Links Microbial Colonization To An Ancient Meteorite Crater

Century-Scale Effect Of Climate Change On Meteorite Falls

Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance

University of Georgia Analyzes And Names A New Meteorite

Comparing Protein Stability in Modern and Ancient Sabkha Environments: Implications for Molecular Remnants on Ancient Mars

Impact-driven Oxidation Of Organics Explains Chondrite Shock Metamorphism Dichotomy

Laminae As Potential Biosignatures

Link Established Between A Grand Canyon Landslide And The Meteor Crater Impact Event

Modeling Atmospheric Alteration on Titan: Hydrodynamics and Shock-Induced Chemistry of Meteoroid Entry

Space-filling Efficiency And Optical Properties Of Hemoglycin

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 3 November 2026: Digging Out and Packing Before the Traverse to Lake Untersee

When Should We Listen for Alien Signals? SETI Institute Scientists Turn to Game Theory.

Cheops Guest Observers Opportunity: JWST/HST Fast Track Proposals

Eyes on Exoplanets Software October Release Notes

A Mitochondrion-like Ribosome In An Insect Endosymbiont