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Space Rock Contains Organic Molecular Feast
from BBC News Online
Scientists say that a meteorite that crashed into Earth 40 years ago contains millions of different carbon-containing, or organic, molecules. Although they are not a sign of life, such organic compounds are life's building blocks, and are a sign of conditions in the early Solar System.
It is thought the Murchison meteorite could even be older than the Sun. The results of the meteorite study are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We are really excited. When I first studied it and saw the complexity I was so amazed," said Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, lead researcher on the study from the Institute for Ecological Chemistry in Neuherberg, Germany. "Having this information means you can tell what was happening during the birth of the Solar System," Dr Schmitt-Kopplin told BBC News.
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