Conglomerate Rock From Mars: (Much) More Precious Than Gold

An anonymous reader writes It's the oldest rock on Earth--and it's from Mars. A 4.4-billion-year-old martian meteorite, found in a dozen pieces in the western Sahara, has ignited a frenzy among collectors and scientists; prices have reached $10,000 a gram, and museums and universities are vying for slivers of it. It is the only known martian meteorite made of sediment, a conglomerate of pebbles and other clumps of minerals from when the planet was warm, wet, and possibly habitable. The story of the discovery of the rock and its significance is fascinating, as well as the details presented about the economics of rare space materials. Apropos, this older story about missing moon rocks.

Comments

Re:Martian?

[wonkey_monkey]

I have never understood why they can be convinced that a random rock they find in the desert is actually from Mars.

So, do some readingon the topic, and then you will understand. In the meantime, your lack of understanding doesn't change the fact that they can do this.

but it is magical thinking to hold that such a rock definitely came from Mars.

No, it's magical thinking to assume that science must be wrong because you know less than science does.

Given the science used, it would probably require magical thinking to hold that such a rock did not come from Mars.