Meteorite discovered in deep space that wiped out the dinosaurs

genetic fingerprint

New discovery It was produced thanks to a “genetic fingerprint” that researchers found in some parts of the book. meteor Extracted from the Earth’s crust gave clues to the origin of the rock. This was achieved because these parts were not contaminated with material from our planet.

Traces of a rare chemical element called ruthenium were found in the fragments, similar to that found in asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, so it is believed that the asteroid came from that region.

he Studying It suggests that this asteroid may have collided with another rock, deflecting its path and directing it toward Earth, or that it was affected by forces in the outer solar system, such as those generated by the planet Jupiter.

Revolutionary discovery

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Using an innovative technique, scientists were able to accurately analyze the levels of ruthenium in rock samples from the Chicxulub crater. The method, developed over a decade, involved breaking all of the chemical bonds in a sample in a sealed tube.

The results obtained were compared with samples from other asteroid impact sites in South Africa, Canada and Russia, as well as with Meteorites Typical carbon of the outer asteroid belt. Surprisingly, the chemical signatures of ruthenium at Chicxulub match only those at Meteorites Carbon.

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This discovery, recently published in the prestigious journal Science, suggests that the asteroid responsible for the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction originated in the outer reaches of our solar system.