(June 28, 2012) In 1969, an exploding fireball tore through the sky over Mexico,
scattering thousands of pieces of meteorite across the state of Chihuahua. More
than 40 years later, the Allende meteorite is still serving the scientific
community as a rich source of information about the early stages of our solar
system's evolution. Recently, scientists from the California Institute of
Technology (Caltech) discovered a new mineral embedded in the space rock—one
they believe to be among the oldest minerals formed in the solar system.