New Jersey meteorite linked to briny asteroid may shed light on early life chemistry

A 110-pound meteorite that entered the atmosphere on July 16, 2024, broke through the roof and bedroom ceiling of a house in Hillsborough, New Jersey, before being collected by the homeowner. The fragment, later named the Hillsborough meteorite, was quickly reported to the American Meteor Society and preserved in jars with gloves, allowing researchers to study a relatively uncontaminated sample.

Analysis by a team from the SETI Institute, NASA’s Ames Research Center and Johnson Space Center identified the rock as a CM2 carbonaceous chondrite, a primitive type that formed early in the solar system. However, the sample displayed a higher degree of water alteration than typical CM2 specimens, prompting the researchers to classify it as a CM1/2, a hybrid category observed only once before.

Laboratory tests revealed organic compounds, including amino acids, and small salty inclusions, indicating that the meteorite’s parent body once hosted liquid brine on or near its surface. The scientists suggest that such a briny environment could have facilitated chemical reactions that are relevant to theories about the origin of life on Earth.

Using eyewitness reports, door-bell camera footage and Doppler radar data from Newark Airport, the team reconstructed the fireball’s trajectory, concluding that the object originated in the inner asteroid belt. The region corresponds to an area previously visited by NASA’s Lucy mission, raising the possibility that the same asteroid was observed during the spacecraft’s flyby.

"If you hear about a meteorite fall in your area, please check your dash cams and video cameras and security ring cameras, and even your cell phones," said lead author Peter Jenniskens.

Fragments of the Hillsborough meteorite are scheduled for display at the American Museum of Natural History, offering the public a chance to see the space rock that may provide new insights into early solar-system chemistry.