meteorites Archives

Aqueous chemistry inside meteorite parent bodies allows the formation of prebiotic molecules crucial for all life in the early solar system. We present a reaction mechanism suitable for vitamin B3 synthesis in this environment, which is experimentally verified in the literature. Vitamin B3 was transported to the Hadean Earth by meteorite falls and initiated redox chemistry in the form of NAD(P)H, potentially participating in the origins of life. -- ChemPlusChem

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Prebiotic Vitamin B3 Synthesis in Carbonaceous Planetesimals

by Keith CowingApril 23, 2024April 23, 2024

Aqueous chemistry within carbonaceous planetesimals is promising for synthesizing prebiotic organic matter essential to all life. Meteorites derived from these planetesimals delivered these life building blocks to the early Earth, […]

Schematic diagram of our preferred scenario. Red circles are planetesimals (and their fragments) from the terrestrial planet region. The black solid curves roughly denote the boundary of the current asteroid inner main belt. Eccentricity increases from bottom to top. Each panel shows the proposed evolution of the inner Solar System at different time ranges: (A) Formation and cooling of the EL planetesimal in the terrestrial planet region before 60 Myr after Solar System formation. In this period, the terrestrial planets began scattering planetesimals to orbits with high eccentricity and semimajor axes that correspond to the asteroid main belt. (B) Between 60 and 100 Myr, the EL planetesimal was destroyed by an impact in the terrestrial planet region. At least one fragment (the Athor family progenitor) was scattered by the terrestrial planets into the scattered disk, as in (A), then the giant planet instability implanted it into the inner main belt by decreasing its eccentricity. (C) A few tens of millions of years after the giant planet instability occurred, a giant impact between the planetary embryo Theia and proto-Earth formed the Moon. (D) The Athor family progenitor experienced another impact event that formed the Athor family at ~1500 Myr. -- Science

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Gas Giants, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

Dating The Solar System’s Giant Planet Migration Using Chondrite Meteorites

by Keith CowingApril 16, 2024April 16, 2024

The period of orbital instability that led to the migration of the Solar System’s giant planets to their current orbit occurred between 60 and 100 million years after the beginning […]

Antarctic meteorite (HUT 18036) partially in the ice, in contrast to most samples that are collected while lying on the surface. Meteorite collected by the Lost Meteorites of Antarctica project. CREDIT Katherine Joy, The University of Manchester, The Lost Meteorites of Antarctica project.

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

Climate Change Threatens Antarctic Meteorites

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2024

Using artificial intelligence, satellite observations, and climate model projections, a team of researchers from Switzerland and Belgium calculate that for every tenth of a degree of increase in global air […]

HPLC chromatograms of FAW(10) after gamma-ray irradiation at 1.5 kGy/h × 600 h, FAW(10) after heating at 80 °C for 168 h after acid hydrolysis, and AA standard solution. -- Life

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation During Aqueous Alteration in Small Bodies: The Effects of Compositions of Starting Solutions

by Keith CowingJanuary 29, 2024January 29, 2024

Organic compounds, such as amino acids, are essential for the origin of life, and they may have been delivered to the prebiotic Earth from extra-terrestrial sources, such as carbonaceous chondrites.

These towering tendrils of cosmic dust and gas sit at the heart of M16, or the Eagle Nebula. The aptly named Pillars of Creation featured in this stunning image are part of an active star-forming region in the nebula and hide newborn stars in their wispy columns. The chemical building blocks of life may have come from regions like this one and then were further processed inside asteroids formed in our, and possibly other, solar systems. This image was made by combining images from two cameras aboard NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb’s near-infrared image was fused with its mid-infrared image, setting this star-forming region ablaze with new details. -- Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI).

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Press Release

Studying Life’s Origins By Simulating a Cosmic Evolution

by Keith CowingJanuary 12, 2024January 12, 2024

Amino acids make up millions of proteins that drive the chemical gears of life, including essential bodily functions in animals. Because of amino acids’ relationship to living things scientists are […]

Optical images of the Ryugu sample (left) and the CI chondrite (Orgueil ; right). ©Kana Amano et al.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

Ryugu Samples Illuminate Terrestrial Weathering Effects On Primitive Meteorites

by Keith CowingDecember 11, 2023December 11, 2023

A groundbreaking study conducted by a team of international scientists has unveiled unprecedented insights into the nature of the asteroid Ryugu and shed light on the composition of water- and […]

a, Backscattered electron image of a fine Ryugu grain. The white boxes correspond to the areas shown in b and c. b, Secondary electron image of framboidal magnetite showing granular texture. c, Secondary electron image of porous iron sulfide surrounded by phyllosilicate. The arrow points to an iron whisker on the iron sulfide surface. Sample ID is A0104-021012.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Meteorites Were A Likely Source Of Nitrogen For Early Earth

by Keith CowingDecember 2, 2023December 2, 2023

Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system. That […]

Reaction of choline chloride with IPF solution in UAFW (Reaction sample CH-UAFW-5). -- Life

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Status Report

Prebiotic Syntheses of Organophosphorus Compounds from Reduced Source of Phosphorus in Non-Aqueous Solvents

by Keith CowingNovember 26, 2023November 26, 2023

Reduced-oxidation-state phosphorus (reduced P, hereafter) compounds were likely available on the early Earth via meteorites or through various geologic processes.

Confocal fluorescence microscopy images (1000 · ) of halite crystal-embedded cells of Deinococcus radiodurans co-stained with SYTO 9 and PI, showing characteristics of the crystal, the distribution of microorganisms inside fluid inclusions, and potential damage to the membrane. Color composite (SYTO 9 and PI). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Panspermia, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

Protective Effects of Halite to Vacuum and Vacuum-Ultraviolet Radiation: A Potential Scenario During a Young Sun Superflare

by Keith CowingNovember 17, 2023November 17, 2023

Halite (NaCl mineral) has exhibited the potential to preserve microorganisms for millions of years on Earth. This mineral was also identified on Mars and in meteorites.

Diagram of ε46Ti vs. ε50Ti for CB, CH and CR chondrite samples investigated in the present study. Bulk CR data for Acfer 139 (dark blue square) and NWA 801(gray square) are from this study and from Zhang et al. (2012), respectively. Literature data for different carbonaceous chondrite groups are stated as composite points averaging multiple samples within each group and are shown for comparison (white squares). The weighted ε50Ti– ε46Ti regression (solid black line) and related error envelopes were calculated using Isoplot, and include bulk meteorite data available from previous works. All reported uncertainties reflect 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Literature data were taken from the recent compilation of Burkhardt et al. (2019) and references therein. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Age And Genetic Relationships Among CB, CH and CR Chondrites

by Keith CowingOctober 23, 2023October 20, 2023

The carbonaceous Bencubbin-like (CB), high-metal (CH), and Renazzo-like (CR) chondrites are metal-rich chondrites that have been suggested to be genetically linked and are sometimes grouped together as the CR chondrite […]

meteorites

Prebiotic Vitamin B3 Synthesis in Carbonaceous Planetesimals

Dating The Solar System’s Giant Planet Migration Using Chondrite Meteorites

Climate Change Threatens Antarctic Meteorites

Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation During Aqueous Alteration in Small Bodies: The Effects of Compositions of Starting Solutions

Studying Life’s Origins By Simulating a Cosmic Evolution

Ryugu Samples Illuminate Terrestrial Weathering Effects On Primitive Meteorites

Meteorites Were A Likely Source Of Nitrogen For Early Earth

Prebiotic Syntheses of Organophosphorus Compounds from Reduced Source of Phosphorus in Non-Aqueous Solvents

Protective Effects of Halite to Vacuum and Vacuum-Ultraviolet Radiation: A Potential Scenario During a Young Sun Superflare

Age And Genetic Relationships Among CB, CH and CR Chondrites

Tricorder Tech: New Handheld Device Maps Chemical Composition Using Infrared Light

No Statistically Significant Evidence For A Correlation Between Stellar And planetary Composition

Water Planet Recon: How Accurately Can We Measure Earth Ocean’s Deepest Point?

Webb Reveals A Stunning Panorama Of Star Formation

Deep Learning of SHERLOC Raman Spectra For Facilitating Mars Astromaterial Identification