Micrometeorites land on every corner of Earth. Matthew Genge is using these shards of interplanetary space to understand Earth and its place in the solar system. Scientists call them micrometeorites, and until the 1870s, they were unknown to us. Space dust, which can be found even at the bottom of the oceans, has been fascinating scientific circles ever since. One of the most important mysteries surrounding these tiny specks is the connection to the origin of life on our planet.
Key Takeaways:
- Micrometeorites were first identified in the 1870s on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
- Matthew Genge became interested in space dust because it’s what moves stuff from stars to planets.
- If life exists in Martian soil, it would most likely be eating micrometeorites.
“Since then, he and other micrometeorite specialists — a small enough community that he “knows the children of most of them” — have gleaned much more information from the dust. Recently, Genge has been interpreting messages the space dust carries, not about its origins, but about its destination: Earth at different points in the planet’s history.”
