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 Loughborough 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 Loughborough University 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 Loughborough Materials Characterisation Centre (LMCC).
Shaun Fowler, a specialist in optical and electron microscopy, also appeared on BBC Breakfast last week, along with other Loughborough representatives, to discuss the find.
