A new look at the early solar system introduces an
alternative to a long-taught, but largely discredited, theory that seeks to
explain how biomolecules were once able to form inside of asteroids. In place
of the outdated theory, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute propose
a new theory — based on a richer, more accurate image of magnetic fields and
solar winds in the early solar system, and a mechanism known as multi-fluid
magneto-hydrodynamics — to explain the ancient heating of the asteroid belt.