Scientists have been able to trace the origin of more than 70 per cent of the meteorites which have hit Earth.&nbsp;

Nearly 466 million years ago, a massive swarm of asteroids violently bombarded Earth which was believed to have occurred because a large asteroid had broken into smaller fragments as it travelled in orbit between Mars and Jupiter.&nbsp;

The Massalia asteroid family is a group of asteroids which have similar orbits and is likely to be the source of this massive infall.

This asteroid family dominates around 40 per cent of all meteorites which have fallen to Earth and two other families of space rocks have been named as the source of many of these Earth-bound meteorites.

In the new research, three asteroid families have been held responsible for more than 70 per cent of meteorites. These three families are Karin, Koronis and Massalia. They have been formed because of the collisions in the main asteroid belt.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-tracks-three-huge-asteroids-racing-towards-earth-will-they-become-an-immediate-threat-767071">NASA tracks three huge asteroids racing towards Earth. Will they become an immediate threat?</a>

These families were formed 5.8 million years ago, 7.5 million years ago, and 40 million years ago respectively.&nbsp;

“The most recent collisional events that happened in the asteroid belt are completely dominating the flux of material to our planet,” said Michael Marsset, lead author and a research fellow at the European Southern Observatory, while speaking to Gizmodo.&nbsp;

“You might think that the meteorite flux should be a blend of all the compositional classes we observe in the asteroid belt but it’s not at all the case, it’s dominated by three asteroids that fragmented recently," he added.&nbsp;

<h2>Collisional cascade inside asteroid families still active, hints researcher</h2>

“Such major collisions do not happen every day—every 30 to 50 million years sounds right as a frequency, although there were three major collisions over the past 8 million years or so,” said Pierre Vernazza, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research while speaking to Gizmodo.

“The collisional cascade inside these families is still active. That’s why they’re dominating this production of meteorites," Marsset said.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Scientists Propose Nuclear Solution To Save Earth From Asteroid Armageddon

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-propose-nuclear-solution-to-save-earth-from-asteroid-armageddon-761817/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Meteorites which have fallen on Earth carry the mysteries of the solar system.&nbsp;

“The meteorites have preserved in their present-day composition a lot of information about our early protoplanetary disk,” Marsset explained.&nbsp;

"By linking these meteorites that we can study in fine detail in our laboratory to specific families in the asteroid belt, we can reconstruct the original compositional gradient and thermal gradient of our protoplanetary disk. This ultimately is the goal of this kind of study. This is what we want to learn," he added.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have been able to trace the origin of more than 70 per cent of the meteorites which have hit Earth. Nearly 466 million years ago, a massive swarm of asteroids violently bombarded Earth which was believed to have occurred because a large asteroid had broken into smaller fragments as it travelled in orbit between Mars and Jupiter.

Scientists have been able to trace the origin of more than 70 per cent of the meteorites which have hit Earth. Nearly 466 million years ago, a massive swarm of asteroids violently bombarded Earth which was believed to have occurred because a large asteroid had broken into smaller fragments as it travelled in orbit between Mars and Jupiter. The Massalia asteroid family is a group of asteroids which have similar orbits and is likely to be the source of this massive infall. This asteroid family dominates around 40 per cent of all meteorites which have fallen to Earth and two other families of space rocks have been named as the source of many of these Earth-bound meteorites. In the new research, three asteroid families have been held responsible for more than 70 per cent of meteorites. These three families are Karin, Koronis and Massalia. They have been formed because of the collisions in the main asteroid belt. Also Read: NASA tracks three huge asteroids racing towards Earth. Will they become an immediate threat? These families were formed 5.8 million years ago, 7.5 million years ago, and 40 million years ago respectively. “The most recent collisional events that happened in the asteroid belt are completely dominating the flux of material to our planet,” said Michael Marsset, lead author and a research fellow at the European Southern Observatory, while speaking to Gizmodo. “You might think that the meteorite flux should be a blend of all the compositional classes we observe in the asteroid belt but it’s not at all the case, it’s dominated by three asteroids that fragmented recently," he added. Collisional cascade inside asteroid families still active, hints researcher “Such major collisions do not happen every day—every 30 to 50 million years sounds right as a frequency, although there were three major collisions over the past 8 million years or so,” said Pierre Vernazza, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research while speaking to Gizmodo. “The collisional cascade inside these families is still active. That’s why they’re dominating this production of meteorites," Marsset said. Watch: Scientists Propose Nuclear Solution To Save Earth From Asteroid Armageddon Meteorites which have fallen on Earth carry the mysteries of the solar system. “The meteorites have preserved in their present-day composition a lot of information about our early protoplanetary disk,” Marsset explained. "By linking these meteorites that we can study in fine detail in our laboratory to specific families in the asteroid belt, we can reconstruct the original compositional gradient and thermal gradient of our protoplanetary disk. This ultimately is the goal of this kind of study. This is what we want to learn," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have found the origin of majority of meteorites that hit Earth. It is...

How did life emerge on Earth? The age-old question has intrigued experts for years and now a study has hinted that rocky guests who visit us frequently might have carried the seeds of life.&nbsp;

Meteorites likely brought the building blocks of life to the primordial Earth from space, as per new evidence. Scientists are intrigued by the finding as this means that alien life exists somewhere in space.

The study says that these meteorites are the fractured remains of early "unmelted asteroids," a type of planetesimal, small rocky bodies considered the main building blocks of the planets in our solar system.&nbsp;&nbsp;

They came into existence around 4.6 billion years ago, forming in the disk of dust and gas around a young sun. Several particles swirled around our star which started to stick together eventually, adding more mass and making progressively larger bodies.

A team of researchers worked to determine the origin of Earth's "volatiles" and tracked the chemical element zinc in meteorites.&nbsp;They include six common chemicals vital for living things, including water.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/comet-a3-tsuchinshan-atlas-best-time-and-day-to-see-the-icy-visitor-766827">Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Best time and day to see the icy visitor</a>

"One of the most fundamental questions on the origin of life is where the materials we need for life to evolve came from," lead author of the study. Rayssa Martins, from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge in England, said in a statement.&nbsp;

"If we can understand how these materials came to be on Earth, it might give us clues to how life originated here and how it might emerge elsewhere," Martins added.

<h2>Where did zinc come from?</h2>

The team, including researchers from Cambridge and Imperial College London, decided to look for zinc because when it is formed in meteorites, it has a unique composition that can help understand about the origins of volatiles.

Earlier, the team found that zinc on Earth came from different regions of the solar system. Nearly half of it came from the inner region of the solar system. However, the rest of it likely originated from beyond Jupiter.&nbsp;

Planetesimals are of different types. Those that formed in the earliest era of the solar system were exposed to high levels of radiation from the infant sun. They lost volatiles through vaporisation because of melting due to the heat.&nbsp;

However, those that were born later weren't exposed to a lot of radiation, and so were held on to most of the volatiles. The team studied zinc in different meteorites originating from different planetesimals. They traced the arrival of zinc to Earth over tens of millions of years.

They found that melted planetesimals made up for around 70 per cent of our planet's total mass but only delivered about 10 per cent of its zinc content. This meant that 90 per cent of Earth's zinc originated from "unmelted" planetesimals.&nbsp;

Researchers believe that these unmelted space rocks likely also delivered a lot of volatiles to the forming Earth.

How did life emerge on Earth? The age-old question has intrigued experts for years and now a study has hinted that rocky guests who visit us frequently might have carried the seeds of life.

How did life emerge on Earth? The age-old question has intrigued experts for years and now a study has hinted that rocky guests who visit us frequently might have carried the seeds of life. Meteorites likely brought the building blocks of life to the primordial Earth from space, as per new evidence. Scientists are intrigued by the finding as this means that alien life exists somewhere in space. The study says that these meteorites are the fractured remains of early "unmelted asteroids," a type of planetesimal, small rocky bodies considered the main building blocks of the planets in our solar system. They came into existence around 4.6 billion years ago, forming in the disk of dust and gas around a young sun. Several particles swirled around our star which started to stick together eventually, adding more mass and making progressively larger bodies. A team of researchers worked to determine the origin of Earth's "volatiles" and tracked the chemical element zinc in meteorites. They include six common chemicals vital for living things, including water. Also Read: Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: Best time and day to see the icy visitor "One of the most fundamental questions on the origin of life is where the materials we need for life to evolve came from," lead author of the study. Rayssa Martins, from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge in England, said in a statement. "If we can understand how these materials came to be on Earth, it might give us clues to how life originated here and how it might emerge elsewhere," Martins added. Where did zinc come from? The team, including researchers from Cambridge and Imperial College London, decided to look for zinc because when it is formed in meteorites, it has a unique composition that can help understand about the origins of volatiles. Earlier, the team found that zinc on Earth came from different regions of the solar system. Nearly half of it came from the inner region of the solar system. However, the rest of it likely originated from beyond Jupiter. Planetesimals are of different types. Those that formed in the earliest era of the solar system were exposed to high levels of radiation from the infant sun. They lost volatiles through vaporisation because of melting due to the heat. However, those that were born later weren't exposed to a lot of radiation, and so were held on to most of the volatiles. The team studied zinc in different meteorites originating from different planetesimals. They traced the arrival of zinc to Earth over tens of millions of years. They found that melted planetesimals made up for around 70 per cent of our planet's total mass but only delivered about 10 per cent of its zinc content. This meant that 90 per cent of Earth's zinc originated from "unmelted" planetesimals. Researchers believe that these unmelted space rocks likely also delivered a lot of volatiles to the forming Earth.

Scientists crack the code, reveal what transported seeds of life to Earth

Meteorites entering Earth is a known occurrence. While some of them come from deep space, others originate&nbsp;near our home planet. Scientists have found that Mars has been the origin point of several of those meteors that hit our planet. Severe impact events on the red planet release debris which gets flung into space, with some of them reaching us as well.&nbsp;

At least 10 such meteorite-forming events have happened in the recent past. The debris breaks free of Mars' gravitational pull and enters the orbit around the sun, and some of them eventually fall to Earth.&nbsp;

“Now, we can group these meteorites by their shared history and then their location on the surface prior to coming to Earth,” Chris Herd, a study co-author, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, and curator of UA’s Meteorite Collection said.

Hundreds of such rocks have been discovered in the last few years. Scientists now claim that around 200 of those meteorites came from five specific impact craters on the Red Planet. Researchers from the University of Alberta have traced their origin to Tharsis and Elysium, the two volcanic regions on our neighbouring planet.

An estimated 48.5 tonnes of meteorite material enters Earth each day, according to NASA. But it is not always possible to study them since they are mere specks of dust by the time they hit the surface.

<h2>Meteorites from Mars</h2>

In the 1980s, scientists discovered a group of meteorites that likely had volcanic origins with ages of 1.3 billion years.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earth-in-danger-of-being-hit-by-asteroid-dimorphos-debris-within-10-years-752623">Earth in danger of being hit by asteroid Dimorphos debris. Impact might happen in...</a>

A celestial body with volcanic activity had to be its origin point, and Mars fit the bill. This was confirmed when NASA's Viking landers compared the composition of Mars' atmosphere with trapped gases found in these rocks.&nbsp;

However, the study noted that it wasn't possible to trace the origins earlier because a technique called spectral matching was being used. The technique is used to identify and compare the composition of materials by analyzing the patterns of light they absorb or emit. However, factors like terrain variability and extensive dust cover inhibit work using this technique.&nbsp;

Herd says that this “major advance” can help revise previous, limited calculations.&nbsp;

"I call that the missing link — to be able to say, for example, the conditions under which this meteorite was ejected were met by an impact event that produced craters between 10 and 30 kilometres across," he said.&nbsp;

The latest finding can help scientists understand more about the planet's geological past.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Meteorites entering Earth is a known occurrence. While some of them come from deep space, others originate near our home planet. Scientists have found that Mars has been the origin point of several of those meteors that hit our planet.

Meteorites entering Earth is a known occurrence. While some of them come from deep space, others originate near our home planet. Scientists have found that Mars has been the origin point of several of those meteors that hit our planet. Severe impact events on the red planet release debris which gets flung into space, with some of them reaching us as well. At least 10 such meteorite-forming events have happened in the recent past. The debris breaks free of Mars' gravitational pull and enters the orbit around the sun, and some of them eventually fall to Earth. “Now, we can group these meteorites by their shared history and then their location on the surface prior to coming to Earth,” Chris Herd, a study co-author, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, and curator of UA’s Meteorite Collection said. Hundreds of such rocks have been discovered in the last few years. Scientists now claim that around 200 of those meteorites came from five specific impact craters on the Red Planet. Researchers from the University of Alberta have traced their origin to Tharsis and Elysium, the two volcanic regions on our neighbouring planet. An estimated 48.5 tonnes of meteorite material enters Earth each day, according to NASA. But it is not always possible to study them since they are mere specks of dust by the time they hit the surface. Meteorites from Mars In the 1980s, scientists discovered a group of meteorites that likely had volcanic origins with ages of 1.3 billion years. Also Read: Earth in danger of being hit by asteroid Dimorphos debris. Impact might happen in... A celestial body with volcanic activity had to be its origin point, and Mars fit the bill. This was confirmed when NASA's Viking landers compared the composition of Mars' atmosphere with trapped gases found in these rocks. However, the study noted that it wasn't possible to trace the origins earlier because a technique called spectral matching was being used. The technique is used to identify and compare the composition of materials by analyzing the patterns of light they absorb or emit. However, factors like terrain variability and extensive dust cover inhibit work using this technique. Herd says that this “major advance” can help revise previous, limited calculations. "I call that the missing link — to be able to say, for example, the conditions under which this meteorite was ejected were met by an impact event that produced craters between 10 and 30 kilometres across," he said. The latest finding can help scientists understand more about the planet's geological past.

Hundreds of meteorites originating from only 5 craters on Mars hit Earth

The search for extraterrestrial life in our universe has spanned several years and theories. While we may have not found signs of life yet, that hasn't stopped human being's thirst to know if someone is out there. Scientists have been coming up with different ideas and theories to learn about the existence of aliens.

The scientists instead of changing where they are looking for potential alien life, are altering what exactly they are searching for.

A new theory has been proposed by a pair of astronomers on the basis of panspermia, according to which life can begin on one planet and then travel to another planet through meteorites.&nbsp;

The theory is based on "panspermia", which is a fringe theory that suggests all life forms can go from one planet to another by ‘hitching rides’ on meteors.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/alien-life-may-be-hiding-in-purple-hue-of-universe-scientists-712945">Alien life may be hiding in purple hue of universe: Scientists</a>

The latest research has been put forward by astronomers Harrison B. Smith and Lana Sinapayen and has not been peer-reviewed. This research suggests the possibility of panspermia, however, the implications are huge.

The theory of panspermia will help scientists narrow down their search for alien life. This is important as till now more than 5,000 exoplanets have been identified by NASA where there are chances of presence of life and looking at each individually will take years and years.&nbsp;

Scientists have till now not figured out in what form life may exist in the universe beyond Earth and if Earth is truly the only planet that supports life.&nbsp;

<h2>Aliens travelling on meteorites to make changes on other planets: Study</h2>

Similar to how the conditions on Earth have been altered by life on the planet and in the atmosphere of our planet, which includes adding more oxygen, the aliens are likely to have altered the properties of an exoplanet.&nbsp;

As per the researchers, if the aliens can travel as per panspermia, then they are likely to try to make similar changes on every planet they travel to.

Watch:&nbsp;Are researchers using the CERN particle accelerator to find aliens?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/are-researchers-using-the-cern-particle-accelerator-to-find-aliens-709812/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

As per the new study, if alien life is searched in this way, it can mean that experts will be able to potentially find clusters of planets close to each other with similar characteristics and this can be an indicator of potential life.

This finding comes at a time when new research has emerged according to which bacteria filled with purple pigments are likely to be hosting extraterrestrial life.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The search for extraterrestrial life in our universe has spanned several years and theories. While we may have not found signs of life yet, that hasn't stopped human being's thirst to know if someone is out there.

The search for extraterrestrial life in our universe has spanned several years and theories. While we may have not found signs of life yet, that hasn't stopped human being's thirst to know if someone is out there. Scientists have been coming up with different ideas and theories to learn about the existence of aliens. The scientists instead of changing where they are looking for potential alien life, are altering what exactly they are searching for. A new theory has been proposed by a pair of astronomers on the basis of panspermia, according to which life can begin on one planet and then travel to another planet through meteorites. The theory is based on "panspermia", which is a fringe theory that suggests all life forms can go from one planet to another by ‘hitching rides’ on meteors. Also Read: Alien life may be hiding in purple hue of universe: Scientists The latest research has been put forward by astronomers Harrison B. Smith and Lana Sinapayen and has not been peer-reviewed. This research suggests the possibility of panspermia, however, the implications are huge. The theory of panspermia will help scientists narrow down their search for alien life. This is important as till now more than 5,000 exoplanets have been identified by NASA where there are chances of presence of life and looking at each individually will take years and years. Scientists have till now not figured out in what form life may exist in the universe beyond Earth and if Earth is truly the only planet that supports life. Aliens travelling on meteorites to make changes on other planets: Study Similar to how the conditions on Earth have been altered by life on the planet and in the atmosphere of our planet, which includes adding more oxygen, the aliens are likely to have altered the properties of an exoplanet. As per the researchers, if the aliens can travel as per panspermia, then they are likely to try to make similar changes on every planet they travel to. Watch: Are researchers using the CERN particle accelerator to find aliens? As per the new study, if alien life is searched in this way, it can mean that experts will be able to potentially find clusters of planets close to each other with similar characteristics and this can be an indicator of potential life. This finding comes at a time when new research has emerged according to which bacteria filled with purple pigments are likely to be hosting extraterrestrial life. (With inputs from agencies)

Aliens may be travelling from one planet to another via meteorites: Study

Scientists, in a new study, have hinted that&nbsp;meteorites may soon disappear from the icy plains of Antarctica due to climate warming.&nbsp;

The Antarctic is a haven for meteorite hunters and is filled with meteorites in today's date. &nbsp;Every year, around 1,000 space rocks are found in the region and it is easy to spot their dark hue in the white expanse.

Field Museum of Natural History and the University of Chicago research scientist Maria Valdes has hinted that the scenario may not be so in the coming days.

“Antarctica, a desert of ice, provides an ideal background for meteorite recovery — go to the right place, and any rock you find must have fallen from the sky,” said Valdes.&nbsp;

In late 2022 and early 2023, she visited the region as part of an expedition team to complete her work at the museum’s Robert A. Pritzker Centre for Meteoritics and Polar Studies. Five meteorites were found by the international team in the expedition.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/snow-covered-antarctica-hosts-hundreds-of-volcanoes-scientists-say-their-chances-of-eruption-are-709420">Snow-covered Antarctica hosts hundreds of volcanoes. Scientists say their chances of eruption are...</a>

“We stumbled across an enormous brownstone sitting by itself in the middle of an ice field. It was a little bit smaller than a bowling ball and quite heavy — 7.6 kg (about 17 pounds),” Pritzker said via email.&nbsp;

“I had seen and handled so many meteorites in my career, but finding one yourself is such a different feeling," she added.

<h2>Nearly 5,000 meteorites may&nbsp;disappear every year: study</h2>

The meteorites, which are made part of extraterrestrial bodies such as the moon, Mars or large asteroids, speak in detail about the solar system and how it was formed.&nbsp;

However, the new study emphasises how this trove of scientific information is being threatened by the climate crisis.

Meteorites are getting lost in the melting ice which places them out of the reach of scientists.

“As the climate continues to warm, Antarctic rocks are sinking into the ice at an increasing rate. Over time, this will make many meteorites inaccessible to scientists,” said Valdes, who is not part of the latest research.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Scientists in Antarctica warn of Bird Flu outbreak as penguin cases confirmed

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-in-antarctica-warn-of-bird-flu-outbreak-as-penguin-cases-confirmed-708348/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“We lose precious time capsules that hold clues to the history of our Solar System," he added.

As per the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, as the Earth warms, nearly 5,000 meteorites may&nbsp;disappear from the surface of melting ice sheets every year.&nbsp;

To date, scientists have found more than 48,000 meteorites in Antarctica, which is 60 per cent of specimens found on the entire Earth.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists, in a new study, have hinted that meteorites may soon disappear from the icy plains of Antarctica due to climate warming. The Antarctic is a haven for meteorite hunters and is filled with meteorites in today's date.

Scientists, in a new study, have hinted that meteorites may soon disappear from the icy plains of Antarctica due to climate warming. The Antarctic is a haven for meteorite hunters and is filled with meteorites in today's date. Every year, around 1,000 space rocks are found in the region and it is easy to spot their dark hue in the white expanse. Field Museum of Natural History and the University of Chicago research scientist Maria Valdes has hinted that the scenario may not be so in the coming days. “Antarctica, a desert of ice, provides an ideal background for meteorite recovery — go to the right place, and any rock you find must have fallen from the sky,” said Valdes. In late 2022 and early 2023, she visited the region as part of an expedition team to complete her work at the museum’s Robert A. Pritzker Centre for Meteoritics and Polar Studies. Five meteorites were found by the international team in the expedition. Also Read: Snow-covered Antarctica hosts hundreds of volcanoes. Scientists say their chances of eruption are... “We stumbled across an enormous brownstone sitting by itself in the middle of an ice field. It was a little bit smaller than a bowling ball and quite heavy — 7.6 kg (about 17 pounds),” Pritzker said via email. “I had seen and handled so many meteorites in my career, but finding one yourself is such a different feeling," she added. Nearly 5,000 meteorites may disappear every year: study The meteorites, which are made part of extraterrestrial bodies such as the moon, Mars or large asteroids, speak in detail about the solar system and how it was formed. However, the new study emphasises how this trove of scientific information is being threatened by the climate crisis. Meteorites are getting lost in the melting ice which places them out of the reach of scientists. “As the climate continues to warm, Antarctic rocks are sinking into the ice at an increasing rate. Over time, this will make many meteorites inaccessible to scientists,” said Valdes, who is not part of the latest research. Watch: Scientists in Antarctica warn of Bird Flu outbreak as penguin cases confirmed “We lose precious time capsules that hold clues to the history of our Solar System," he added. As per the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, as the Earth warms, nearly 5,000 meteorites may disappear from the surface of melting ice sheets every year. To date, scientists have found more than 48,000 meteorites in Antarctica, which is 60 per cent of specimens found on the entire Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

Meteorites, hiding in ice sheets of Antarctic, may disappear amid climate warming: study

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