Oldest material on Earth discovered

[Rick]

Oldest material on Earth discovered

Scientists analysing a meteorite have discovered the oldest material known to exist on Earth.

They found dust grains within the space rock - which fell to Earth in the 1960s - that are as much as 7.5 billion years old.

The oldest of the dust grains were formed in stars that roared to life long before our Solar System was born.

More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51099609

[ApophisAstros]

Presume they pullverised it to find grains?
Roger

[Rick]

Ancient stardust created before the Solar System formed

The tiny dust grains were found in the Murchison meteorite, which landed in Australia over 50 years ago. The research team analysed samples of the meteorite by grinding it up into a fine powder to create a chemical paste that can be dissolved with acid to leave "presolar" grains behind.

"It starts with crushing fragments of the meteorite down into a powder," said Jennika Greer, a graduate student at the University of Chicago and a co-author of the study. "Once all the pieces are segregated, it's a kind of paste, and it has a pungent characteristic—it smells like rotten peanut butter."

More: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/14/oldest_matter_on_earth/