Tissint, the Martian meteorite that fell in Morocco in 2011, comprises a diversity of organic compounds never before seen and might shed light on life on the planet Mars, said the Science Daily website.
This discovery was made by an international team of researchers from the Technical University of Munich and Carnegie. The research was published in Science Advances.
This rock sample was formed hundreds of millions years ago on the red planet and was catapulted into space by a violent event. Unraveling the origin of the Tissint shooting star’s components can help scientists understand whether the Red Planet ever hosted life, as well as Earth’s geological history.
Tissint is one of five Martian meteorites that have been spotted as they crashed on Earth. It landed in Morocco more than 11 years ago, about 30 miles from the town it was named after. Fragments were discovered scattered throughout the desert.