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Meteorite that crashed New Jersey home contains extraterrestrial amino acids
16 Jul 2026

A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home two years ago has been found to contain rare extraterrestrial amino acids.

The discovery was made by scientists who studied the Hillsborough meteorite, a fragile space rock that broke apart in Earth's atmosphere on July 16, 2024.

The event was witnessed across several US states and even caused a sonic boom in New York City and New Jersey.

Hillsborough meteorite was collected by the homeowners
Meteorite details

The Hillsborough meteorite, weighing around 1kg, is a rare primitive type that offers insight into the early solar system.

It was found in a master bedroom of a Hillsborough home after crashing through its roof.

The homeowners collected the black fragments and dust with aluminum foil and glass jars to avoid contamination, allowing scientists to study this unique specimen.

It is a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite
Meteorite classification

The Hillsborough meteorite has been classified as a CM-type carbonaceous chondrite, a remnant of rocky bodies from the early solar system. These space rocks contain hydrated minerals and organic compounds.

The researchers classified this specimen as a CM1/2, an intermediate between two types of primitive CM meteorites, CM1 and CM2.

This is only the second time a CM1/2 meteorite has been observed falling to Earth but the first one studied in such pristine conditions.

Sodium was found in high amounts
Meteorite origin

The Hillsborough meteorite likely originated from a larger space rock in the inner asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It contains high amounts of sodium, likely from icy brines within the original asteroid.

As water evaporated on this space rock, it left behind concentrated salt minerals that could form molecules essential for life as we know it.

The team also found organic carbon and complex amino acids in this unique specimen.

Extraterrestrial amino acids could unlock life's origins
Amino acid discovery

The Hillsborough meteorite contains a complex suite of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

Most of these amino acids are rare or nonexistent in life on Earth, making them truly extraterrestrial in origin.

This discovery adds to the evidence that meteorite delivery of organic matter to early Earth could have been an important source of organic molecules necessary for the origin of life.