Scientists have discovered the building blocks of life inside a meteorite that fell into a New Jersey home two years ago. A new study suggests that space rocks contain amino acids, carbon compounds and other “prebiotic” molecules that may have helped start life on our planet.
The study team was led by scientists Peter Jenniskensa meteor astronomer affiliated with the SETI Institute and NASAAmes Research Center – praised a homeowner in Hillsboro, NJ, for promptly preserving the meteorite after it fell from the roof on July 16, 2024, despite adverse conditions. Their tasks included using disposable gloves and aluminum foil to place meteorite fragments into glass jars.
“I was home at the time, I heard a loud crash and found a hole in the ceiling of the master bedroom,” said the homeowner, who declined to be named. statement From the SETI Institute. “I smelled a strong, sulfur-like odor and saw debris and black dust as well as numerous black pieces covering my bed, carpet, and surrounding areas.”
Close-up of the surface of the Hillsborough meteorite.
(Image credit: SETI Institute)
Scientists said those meteorite fragments were precious and probably came from ancient times Solar system The planet that was not fully formed. “A forensic study of the fragments revealed that they contained preserved fragments from near the surface of a small primitive asteroid where it had experienced concentrated salty fluids – a process not previously known from protoplanet worlds of this type,” Jenniskens said in the statement.
The study, published July 15 in the journal science advancementAlso found out how the meteorite reached home. Before July 16, 2024, at least 60 Observers in New York, New Jersey and other northeastern states saw a meteor It was later confirmed to be traveling at speeds of 32,000 mph (51,500 km/h). At least 16 people in New York and New Jersey reported feeling the meteorite shock.
The rock broke up in mid-air, with observers reporting that the meteorite stopped when it reached an altitude of 22 miles (35 kilometers), although Newark Liberty International Airport briefly tracked the falling pebble from the sky with Doppler weather radar thereafter. Only fragments of one meteorite – called Hillsboro, after the town where it crashed through a New Jersey home – were recovered.
The American Meteor Society used its cameras in Northford, Connecticut and Douglasville, Pennsylvania – as well as a doorbell camera in Wayne, New Jersey – to trace the meteor’s origin. mike hankeyoperations manager for the American Meteor Society and co-author of the study, said in the statement. “The path leads to the bottom of the asteroid belt.”
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Hillsborough is the second stony meteorite of its type ever observed in fall. Later analysis revealed that the meteorite is filled with ancient brine or salt. Scientists have classified the meteorite as a type of stony space rock called carbonaceous chondrite.
Scientists will compare samples of salt minerals Asteroid Ryugu And bennuBoth contain elements of life and are samples of another carbonaceous chondrite type that formed before Hillsborough. This analysis could help scientists trace the origins of life-friendly chemistry in the early Solar System.
Jenniskens, P., Zolensky, M.E., Gordon, A., Gordon, J., Hankey, M., Silber, E.A., Giannone, M.R., Hahn, J., Le, L., Fries, M.D., Ziegler, K., Chan, Q.H.S., Behera, D., Watson, J.S., Sephton, M.A., Brackley, J., Munday, B., Kebukawa, Y., Gainsforth, Z., . . . Abel, DS (2026). Meteorite over New York City: Brine in a primitive CM asteroid. science advancement, 12(29), eaea2105. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aea2105