The Meteorite Hunters: On the Trail of Extraterrestrial Treasures and the Secrets Inside Them

(Hardback)

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Description

Planet Earth is under attack: every day, millions of meteoroids plummet through our atmosphere. Fortunately, the majority are minuscule too small to survive the scouring of Earths atmosphere, let alone qualify as planet killers. Those that do make it to Earth offer a unique glimpse of the world beyond our little planet. They are an invaluable scientific resource. The oldest material on Earth 2.5 billion years older than the solar system comes from a meteorite, and the earliest iron tools were made from them. Indeed, the mystery of how life began on Earth may be bound up with a meteorite. Were only just starting to unlock the secrets of these extra-terrestrial visitors. Travelling the world, the New Scientists Joshua Howgego meets the ground-breaking scientists, intrepid explorers and passionate hobbyists redefining our understanding of these stones. From the mystery of the meteorites of Antarctica to the surprising quantity of micrometeorites littering our cities, The Meteorite Hunters takes a rollicking ride through the history and science of these cosmic artifacts.

Reviews

'They fall from the sky, and tell us about the universe: a passionate story of the excitement and the science of searching for and deciphering meteorites.' Carlo Rovelli

Author Bio

Joshua Howgego is a science journalist based in London. Josh originally trained as a chemist and obtained his PhD at the University of Bristol. He also has a degree in science communication from Imperial College London. After having written for numerous titles, including Times Higher Education, SciDev.Net and Nature, he now works as a feature editor at New Scientist magazine, where he covers physical science. You can follow Josh on twitter @jdhowgego.