Researchers have discovered never-before-seen types of crystal hidden in tiny grains of perfectly preserved meteorite dust. The dust was left behind by a massive space rock that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, nine years ago.
In a new study, researchers analyzed some of the tiny fragments of space rock that were left behind after the meteor exploded, known as meteorite dust. Normally, meteors produce a small amount of dust as they burn up, but the tiny grains are lost to scientists because they are either too small to find, scattered by the wind, fall into water or are contaminated by the environment.
And luckily, layers of snow that fell shortly before and after the event trapped and preserved some dust samples until scientists could recover them shortly after.The researchers stumbled upon the new types of crystal while they were examining specks of the dust under a standard microscope.One of these tiny structures, which was only just big enough to see under the microscope, was fortuitously in focus right at the center of one of the slides when one team member peered through the eyepiece.
made from overlapping sheets of atoms, commonly used in pencils – surrounding a central nanocluster at the heart of the crystal. The researchers propose that the most likely candidates for these nanoclusters are buckminsterfullerene , a cage-like ball of carbon atoms, or polyhexacyclooctadecane , a molecule made from carbon and hydrogen.
The team suspects that the crystals formed in the high-temperature and high-pressure conditions created by the meteor breaking apart, although the exact mechanism is still unclear. In the future, the scientists hope to track down other samples of meteorite dust from other space rocks to see if these crystals are a common byproduct of meteor break-ups or are unique to the Chelyabinsk meteor explosion.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Smarter Than You Think: Scientists Find That Dogs Have Complex Mental Images of Familiar ThingsInside a dog's mind: Dogs have a 'multi-modal mental image' of their familiar items Many dog lovers are curious about what goes on in the minds of their furry pals. Fortunately, the answer is now within reach for scientists. Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest's Family Dog Project
Read more »
Bitcoin Whales And Investors Heavily ‘Buying The Dip’ At $19k Even As Miners Adopt Risk-Off ApproachDespite Bitcoin reeling from a massive deleveraging event and pulling back sharply to levels last seen in 2020, investors have found a small window of opportunity to add to their bags.
Read more »
Honda e Limited Edition Arrives In Europe, Only 50 Units Available | CarscoopsThe special edition is exclusively available in Premium Crystal Red exterior shade with black accents
Read more »
Bad News, Boys! Vaping Linked to Erectile DysfunctionScientists have discovered yet another reason why vaping sucks.
Read more »
Help NASA Solve a Fundamental Martian MysteryFind Clouds on Mars to Help NASA Scientists By spotting clouds in data collected by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the public can increase scientists’ understanding of the Red Planet’s atmosphere. NASA scientists hope to crack a fundamental mystery about Mars’ atmosphere, and you can help. Th
Read more »