Winchcombe Meteorite holds clues to the origins of Earth
Scientists discover key information about oceans and life in Gloucestershire space rock
A meteorite that landed in the Wilcock's family driveway in Winchcombe is said to hold the secrets to how oceans and life formed on Earth.
Analysis conducted by scientists revealed that the space rock, that crashed down to Earth, contained 11% water and 2% carbon.
As a result of this the experts say that asteroids played a key role in kickstarting oceans and life on planet earth.
Dr Luke Daly, a lecturer in planetary geoscience at the University of Glasgow and author on the paper said: "One of the biggest questions asked of the scientific community is how did we get here?
"This analysis on the Winchcombe meteorite gives insight into how the Earth came to have water - the source of so much life.
"Researchers will continue to work on this specimen for years to come, unlocking more secrets into the origins of our solar system."
The Winchcombe meteorite comes from a rare class of rocks known as carbonaceous chondrites.
Carbonaceous chondrites have about 3% of all meteorites collected on Earth and store unaltered chemicals from the formation of the solar system more than four billion years ago.
"A tantalising glimpse" through time
Dr Ashley King, of the Natural History Museum and author on the paper, said the analysis offers scientists "a tantalising glimpse back through time to the original composition of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago".
Analysis of the meteorite sample revealed extra terrestrial water that is, what the researchers say, "is locked-up in minerals that formed during chemical reactions between fluids and rocks on its parent asteroid in the earliest stages of the solar system".
Further Chemical analysis showed this water closely rambles the composition of water on Earth.
Amino acids were also found in samples of the space rock. These are molecules that are essential to life on Earth.
The researchers have praised the rapid response in which the Winchcombe meteorite was retrieved. This allowed experts to analyse the space rock before its elements began to breakdown.
"Reeling from our good fortune"
Dr Natasha Almeida, curator of meteorites at the Natural History Museum and co-author said: "We're still reeling from our good fortune to have such an important meteorite fall in the UK, and are so grateful to the local community for their donations and the UK's cosmochemistry network for coming together to produce this extensive study.
"The combination of such a quick recovery, careful collection, and our ongoing curation of Winchcombe in a nitrogen atmosphere means this incredibly fresh specimen will remain one of the most pristine meteorites in collections worldwide."