A Forgotten Cosmic Impact Was Hidden in a Museum’s Glass Shards

Scientists have discovered that some tektites, or glass-like objects, in an Australian museum's collection are much older than previously thought. Tektites are typically formed by the extreme heat and pressure of meteorite impacts on Earth. The researchers found that some of the tektites in the collection dated back to around 800,000 years ago, as previously believed. However, others were surprisingly older, dating back to around 2.2 million years ago. This suggests that there was an additional, forgotten cosmic impact event that occurred on Earth much earlier than the 800,000-year-old impact. The discovery was made by analyzing the chemical composition and properties of the tektites, which revealed their true age. This finding challenges the existing understanding of Earth's impact history and highlights the importance of re-examining museum collections for potential new insights into the planet's geological past.