A small pebble discovered in Egypt is challenging current understanding of the solar system. The analysis suggests that the diamond-filled stone has extraterrestrial origins and contains compounds that predate the Sun.
The Hypatia stone was picked up from the Libyan Desert Glass Field and named after the ancient astronomer Hypatia of Alexandria.
Earlier analyses of the stone revealed that it contains micromineral compounds that are not found anywhere on the planet or any known meteorite. The compounds are not even found elsewhere in the solar system.
Now, findings of a new study published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta found that the alien rock also lacks silicate minerals, which make it more unique from other known materials in the solar system. The stone also contains minerals that appear to predate the Sun.
Other findings were also peculiar. Researchers discovered that the pebble has aluminum in its pure metallic form, which rarely, if it ever occurs, in the solar system. They also discovered silicon carbide, or moissanite and silver iodine phosphide in unexpected forms as well as a compound that is mainly composed of nickel and phosphorus but with no iron, a bizarre mineral composition never seen before on Earth and in other alien materials.
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