Ancient humans used meteorites to make tools
Using state-of-the-art technology, scientists discovered that ancient Bronze Age tools were created using meteorite iron at a time before humans could not smell iron ore.
A rock discovered in a garden in Germany has been confirmed as the largest stony meteorite ever found in the country.
The space rock, weighing 66 pounds, was discovered more than 30 years ago in a garden in Blaubeuren, southern Germany. “In 1989, an owner was digging a cable ditch on his property in Blaubeuren, in the German region of Swabia, when his shovel hit a rock,” the German Aerospace Center (DLR) said in a statement. “By lifting it half a meter [1.6-feet] on the surface, he found it to be remarkably heavy. “
The rock, which is a chondrite, or stony meteorite, measures 11 inches by 9.8 inches by 7.9 inches.
Earliest evidence of death from discovered meteorite
The man held a magnet against the rock and confirmed that it contained iron. “The cornerstone was left lying in the garden for decades,” added DLR. “Only 31 years later it occurred to the search engine that it could be a visitor from space.”
The “Blaubeuren” meteorite.
(Gabriele Heinlein / DLR)
In January, he reported his discovery to the DLR Planetary Research Institute, which confirmed that it is a meteorite.
Earlier this month, the Meteoritic Society, the international organization of meteorite researchers, also confirmed in its newsletter that the find is a meteorite. The space rock has been named Blaubeuren because of where it was found.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER EXTRATERRESTRIAL SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN METEORITES
A small portion of an asteroid or comet is also known as a meteoroid. When it enters Earth’s atmosphere, it turns into a meteor, fireball, or shooting star. The chunks of rock hitting the ground, valuable to collectors, are meteorites.
Scientists found the earliest evidence of a person killed by a meteorite. Writing in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science, experts explain how they discovered evidence of the incident, which occurred in Iraq in the late 19th century.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2017, a meteorite made headlines when it crossed the sky in Michigan. The blazing fireball sent meteorite hunters to search for fragments of the rare space rock.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
