Tag: meteorites

Meteorite observation network sets out to catch a falling star

British scientists are turning their eyes to the skies to track meteorites before they land on UK soil—and they’re looking for volunteers to help them recover the space rocks whenever and wherever they fall. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-03-meteorite-network-falling-star.html…

Marsquakes: InSight lander shows active faults in planet’s crust

The results from its NASA’s Mars InSight lander’s first 10 months on the martian surface have been published in a series of papers. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-quakes-insight-lander-shows-active-faults…

Mars Is a Seismically Active World, First Results From NASA’s InSight Lander Reveal

The first results from NASA’s quake-hunting InSight Mars lander just came out, and they reveal that Mars is a seismically active planet. Space.com reports: Martian seismicity falls between that of the moon and that of Earth, [says InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory]. “In fact, it’s probably close to the kind of seismic activity you would expect…

Study suggests early Earth’s atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide

Scientists studying tiny ancient meteorites have found evidence that Earth’s atmosphere used to contain much more carbon dioxide, and maybe less nitrogen, than it does now. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/earth-ancient-atmosphere-carbon-dioxide-nitrogen-meteorites…

Making simulated cosmic dust—in the microwave

Cosmic dust is the key to the chemical evolution of stars, planets, and life itself, but its composition is not well understood, and we can’t currently collect samples for analysis. A few examples have arrived on Earth as interplanetary dust particles and comet dust, in meteorites, but their complicated history means they may not be representative. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-01-simulated-cosmic-dustin-microwave.html…

‘Lost’ Iron Meteorites May Lurk Beneath Antarctic Ice. Scientists on Quest to Find Them.

Scientists are scouring the remote Antarctic ice cap for rare meteorites chock-full of iron and holding secrets to the history of our solar system going back some 4.5 billion years. Source: https://www.livescience.com/searching-for-lost-meteorites-antarctica.html

Meet the microorganism that likes to eat meteorites

At least one type of microbe on Earth not only likes to eat meteorites but actually prefers them as a food source, according to a new international scientific study. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/microorganism-m-sedula-likes-to-eat-meteorites…

Meteorite-loving microorganism

Chemolithotrophic microorganisms derive their energy from inorganic sources. Research into the physiological processes of these organisms—which are grown on meteorite—provides new insights into the potential of extraterrestrial materials as a source of accessible nutrients and energy for microorganisms of the early Earth. Meteorites may have delivered a variety of essential compounds facilitating the evolution of life, as we know it on…