"Saharan Crystal Meteorite Could Redefine Early Solar System History"

Scientists have discovered a crystal-studded meteorite in the Sahara Desert, known as Erg Chech 002, which is the oldest volcanic rock from space at 4.56556 billion years old. This finding, published in Nature Communications, challenges previous assumptions about the early solar system by revealing an uneven distribution of the radioactive isotope aluminum-26. The precise dating of Erg Chech 002 was achieved by analyzing lead and uranium isotopes, offering new insights into the solar system's formation and the geological history of early planets.