US Meteorite Yields Clues to Life’s Building Blocks

Researchers identified a meteorite that crashed through the roof of a home in New Jersey in July 2024 as a scientifically valuable object containing compounds potentially linked to the origins of life on Earth. The Hillsborough meteorite, a rare type of carbonaceous chondrite, contains carbon, amino acids, and other prebiotic molecules.

Analysis revealed preserved remnants from the surface of a primitive asteroid exposed to concentrated saline fluids, a previously unknown process in protoplanetary worlds. This meteorite is only the second of its kind to be observed falling to Earth.

The homeowner’s quick preservation of the fragments, using gloves and glass jars, aided the investigation. The Institute SETI notes the meteorite originated from a roughly suitcase-sized rock entering the atmosphere at 14.4 kilometers per second. Fragments will be housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, allowing continued study of these extraterrestrial components.