Alien World Chemistry Found Inside Meteorite That Struck New Jersey Home
5 hours ago
- A meteorite crashed through a house in Hillsborough, New Jersey, following a daytime meteor event over New York City in July 2024.
- The Hillsborough meteorite is a CM1/2 carbonaceous chondrite, showing more extensive water alteration than typical CM2 meteorites.
- The meteorite preserves evidence of ancient briny fluids from the near-surface region of its parent asteroid, a process not previously known from primitive asteroids.
- Analysis reveals the presence of organic compounds, including amino acids, which may have contributed to prebiotic chemistry on early Earth.
- The homeowner's quick preservation of the fragments allowed scientists to study the most pristine CM1/2 meteorite sample known.