Researchers from Brown University in Rhode Island have discovered preserved biological plant material in glass that formed when an asteroid made impact with the Earth millions of years ago. Impact glass used in the study came from the Pampas region of Argentina, and the pieces reportedly have a range of ages dating under 10 million years old.
Researchers from Brown University in Rhode Island have discovered preserved biological plant material in glass that formed when asteroids made impact with the Earth millions of years ago.
The glass remnants from the impacts that were examined originated from the Pampas region of Argentina and the pieces reportedly have a range of ages dating under 10 million years old.
Intense heat from the asteroid caused the blades of grass to be perfectly preserved and analysis of the material shows that the ancient grass has similar composition to the species that currently grown in Pampas.
Professor Pete Schultz, from Brown University is quoted as saying: "It turns out the composition of the plant material is very similar to the composition of the impact glass itself. It was very rapidly transferred from one thing to the other, likely due to the rapid and high heat that boiled off that plant material and replaced it with glass."
The researchers write that space collisions can destroy life on large or small scales, as well as preserving some biological evidence from the time of impact.
This study might help scientists understand how to find ancient signs of life that might have been preserved by impact glass on Mars.
