A meteorite crashed through a home. Then 'alien' material was found

Two years after a meteorite crash-landed in a New Jersey home, researchers have released findings that there was "alien world chemistry" inside it, according to a new study.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances on July 15, said that the meteorite, which came from a rock that entered the atmosphere and was spotted over New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania in 2024, contained preserved pieces of the asteroid it stemmed from.

“A forensic study of the fragments revealed that they contained preserved bits from near the surface of a primitive asteroid where it experienced concentrated salty fluids – a process not previously known from this type of proto planet world,” Peter Jenniskens, the lead author and a meteor astronomer from the SETI Institute and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, said in a statement.

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The study looked at the meteorite, which weighed more than two pounds when it shot through the roof of a house in Hillsborough, New Jersey, 48 miles southwest of New York, according to a news release published by the SETI Institute. SETI is a nonprofit that explores "origins of life, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the mysteries of the cosmos."

Here's what to know.

So what exactly does 'alien world chemistry' mean?

Salt minerals were found on the fragments, according to the study. Researchers are working to identify it.

Mike Zolensky, the paper's co-author and a meteoriticist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and his colleague, JangMi Han, found small, salt-rich fragments of the meteor, suggesting it originated from an area near the asteroid's surface where water would have evaporated and caused salt to concentrate in the area.

The discovery is not definite proof of extraterrestrial life, but it could bring researchers closer to finding how life originated on Earth.

Salt brines that are highly concentrated can "create molecules crucial to life on Earth," the news release stated. And the findings on the meteorite could provide researchers with new insight into how asteroid chemistry shaped life on Earth.

Where did the meteorite come from?

The meteorite came from a "rock the size of a heavy airline bag," the news release stated. It was traveling at 32,000 mph, moving well beyond the speed of sound, when it entered Earth's atmosphere on July 16, 2024.

The rock also entered the atmosphere at a higher speed than the Artemis II crew, which reached an estimated 25,000 mph during reentry, according to USA TODAY's previous reporting.

It was going so fast that it caused a sonic boom as it passed the Statue of Liberty. Around 16 people in New York and New Jersey felt the shockwave, according to the SETI Institute.

'Strong sulfur-like odor:' Meteorite collected with aluminum and kept in glass jars

The owner of the home where the meteorite crashed, who was not identified by the SETI Institute, said he collected pieces of it while wearing disposable gloves and using aluminum foil to place fragments of the meteorite into glass jars.

"I was at home at the time, heard a loud crash and found a hole in the ceiling of the master bedroom," the owner said in a statement. "I smelled a strong sulfur-like odor and saw many black fragments along with debris and black dust that covered my bed, carpet and surrounding areas."

Little did the homeowner know he would be a huge help to researchers by doing this.

"Thanks to the homeowner's quick reaction, these are the most pristine CM1/2 meteorites we know of," Jenniskens stated.

Difference between meteoroids, meteors and meteorites

While the words do sound similar, they have different meanings and are different categories of space rocks, according to NASA:

• A meteoroid is a space rock that orbits in space. Meteoroids have a vast range of sizes and can be as small as a grain of dust or as big as a small asteroid.
• A meteor, also known as a shooting star, is a space rock that enters a planet's atmosphere at high speeds and then burns up.
• Finally, if the rock survives its trip through the planet's atmosphere and lands on the ground, it's called a meteorite.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta, Doyle Rice, Cheryl McCloud; USA TODAY

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A meteorite crashed through a home. Then 'alien' material was found