An evaporite sequence from ancient brine recorded in Bennu samples
3 institutional releases
Published in Nature · View the paper (DOI)
Berkeley Lab scientists analyzed asteroid Bennu samples using advanced tools, revealing a telltale set of salts formed by evaporation that illuminate the asteroid's watery past. The findings suggest Bennu may have delivered water and essential chemical building blocks of life to Earth in the distant past.
Coverage from 3 institutions
- Berkeley Lab helps explore mysteries of Asteroid Bennu DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · Jan 29, 2025 · first to report
- Pristine asteroid samples reveal secrets of the ancient solar system Curtin University · Jan 29, 2025
- Traces of ancient brine discovered on the asteroid Bennu contain minerals crucial to life Smithsonian · Jan 29, 2025