Researchers have revealed that a meteorite that fell in the United States has become one of the “most scientifically valuable” objects ever recovered, for containing compounds that help understand how life came about on Earth.
© SETI Institute
17/07/2026
by
Lusa
Cscientists at the SETI Institute in California concluded that the Hillsborough meteorite – named after the city in the state of New Jersey where it fell on July 16, 2024 – contains a diversity of compounds considered fundamental blocks of life, including carbon, amino acids and other prebiotic molecules.
“ An analysis revealed that [the meteorite] contained preserved traces of the area near the surface of a small primitive asteroid, where it was exposed to concentrated saline fluids; a process hitherto unknown in this type of protoplanetary world,” said Peter Jenniskens, the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center.
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, determined that the meteorite is composed of a rare and primitive material called carbonaceous chondrite type CM1/2.
The composition of the Hillsborough also confirms that it suffered “a greater change by water” than most meteorites that fell on Earth.
It is only the second time that a meteorite of this type has been dropped, making it “one of the most valuable scientific ever recovered,” according to the SETI Institute, California-based research organization.
Researchers pointed out that Hillsborough provided crucial information thanks to the owner of the house where it fell, who “preserved and documented everything”, using disposable gloves and aluminium paper to store the fragments in glass bottles.
The meteorite comes from a rock the size of a heavy aircraft case, which entered the earth's atmosphere at 14.4 kilometers per second.
Sixty observers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania reported to the American Meteorian Society that they saw the meteorite, described as fragile because it quickly collapsed into the atmosphere.
The owner of the house said he heard a bang and found a hole in the ceiling of the master bedroom. When collecting the black fragments, he noticed a strong smell of sulfur, as well as debris and black powder covering the bed, carpet and surrounding areas.
Some fragments of the meteorite will now be stored at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.