20 Jul 2021
Materials department examines ancient meteorite that could reveal the origins of life on Earth
A 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite found lying in the imprint of a horseshoe is likely a remnant of cosmic debris left over from the birth of the solar system and could answer questions about how life began on Earth.
Discovered by º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ resident Derek Robson, of the East Anglian Astrophysical Research Organisation(EAARO), in a Gloucestershire field, in March, the meteorite had travelled a distance of at least 110 million miles from its primordial home between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.
Scientists at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ are now analysing the small charcoal-coloured space rock to determine its structure and composition in a bid to answer questions about the early solar system and possibly our own origins, including experts from the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Materials Characterisation Centre (LMCC).
Shaun Fowler, a specialist in optical and electron microscopy, also appeared on BBC Breakfast last week, along with other º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ representatives, to discuss the find.
