A new study by Southwest Research Institute scientists describes how they have expanded the capabilities of the prototype spaceflight instrument Chemistry Organic and Dating Experiment (CODEX), designed for field-based dating of extraterrestrial materials. CODEX now uses two different dating approaches based on rubidium-strontium and lead-lead geochronology methods. The instrument uses laser ablation resonance ionization mass spectrometry (LARIMS) to obtain dates using…
Tag: mass spectrometry
One Mystery of Stonehenge’s Origins Has Finally Been Solved
For more than four centuries, archaeologists and geologists have sought to determine the geographical origins of the stones used to build Stonehenge thousands of years ago. Pinning down the source of the large blocks known as sarsens that form the bulk of the monument has proved especially elusive. From a report: Now researchers have resolved the mystery: 50 of the 52…
Have the first proteins been found in meteorites?
Researchers say they’ve discovered the first complete proteins inside 2 meteorites. It’s tantalizing, since proteins play a key role in the cells of living creatures. But will the results hold up to scrutiny? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/proteins-amino-acids-meteorites-acfer-086-and-allende-origin-of-life…
This Australian meteor crater is oldest known, says study
“We found the world’s oldest asteroid strike in Western Australia. It might have triggered a global thaw.” Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/australian-yarrabubba-meteor-crater-oldest-known…
Scientists Can Now Identify Someone From a Single Strand of Hair
sciencehabit shares a report from Science Magazine: A new forensic technique could have criminals — and some prosecutors — tearing their hair out: Researchers have developed a method they say can identify a person from as little as 1 centimeter of a single strand of hair — and that is eight times more sensitive than similar protein analysis techniques. If the…