When a meteorite smashed into Mars eleven million years ago, pieces of the Red Planet hurtled into space—and some of them landed on Earth in the form of meteorites, depositing unparalleled evidence of the planet’s makeup. Now, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have released a report after their detailed study of the Martian meteorites collected from locations across the world, including Africa and Antarctica.

Mars has a distinct structure in its mantle and crust with discernible reservoirs, and this is known thanks to meteorites that scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and colleagues have analyzed on Earth.

Mars has a distinct structure in its mantle and crust with discernible reservoirs, and this is known thanks to meteorites that scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and colleagues have analyzed on Earth.

A lot of the time, when someone mentions the University of Nevada Las Vegas, they’re speaking of its renowned School of Hospitality, its fast-growing medical school or its Jerry Tarkanian-era men’s basketball teams. But UNLV is also one of the nation’s top research universities, awarded an R1 classification (“very high research activity”) from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Join the Weekly as we peek into the laboratories where world-changing scientific research is ongoing.

By studying these literal chunks of Mars, scientists are learning more about the Red Planet’s deep interior and impact history.

Mark your calendars for the free seminars.

UNLV science professors Libby Hausrath and Arya Udry are finally getting an opportunity to analyze data after being selected by NASA for the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission.

The Franco-Swiss of Valaisan origin works on Martian meteorites. "I am focusing on the magmatic minerals that we will be able to find in the Jezero crater, where Perseverance landed. The goal is to understand the evolution of the interior of Mars", she explains Tuesday in La Matinale.