Sotheby’s in New York is set to auction the largest known piece of Mars ever found on Earth—a 54-pound (24.67 kg) meteorite named NWA 16788.
Scientists say the meteorite likely blasted off Mars after a massive asteroid impact and travelled 140 million miles before landing in the Sahara Desert. It was discovered in Niger in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter.
A small sample was sent for lab testing, confirming its Martian origin by comparing its chemical makeup with meteorites collected by NASA’s Viking landers in 1976.
The rock is classified as an olivine-microgabbroic shergottite, formed from slow-cooling Martian magma and featuring minerals like pyroxene and olivine. Its glassy surface shows it endured intense heat entering Earth’s atmosphere.
The meteorite was previously exhibited at the Italian Space Agency in Rome, though its current owner remains undisclosed. Testing suggests it fell to Earth only in recent years.
Alongside the meteorite, Sotheby’s Geek Week auction on 16 July will feature a mounted juvenile Ceratosaurus dinosaur skeleton, estimated at $4 to $6 million. The skeleton, from the Late Jurassic period about 150 million years ago, was discovered in Wyoming in 1996 and reassembled by fossil experts.
The Ceratosaurus, a bipedal predator smaller than the Tyrannosaurus rex, could grow up to 25 feet long. This specimen stands more than 6 feet tall and nearly 11 feet long.
The auction includes 122 lots, ranging from meteorites and fossils to gem-quality minerals, showcasing some of the rarest natural history treasures on the market today.
In a significant move towards regional energy collaboration, energy ministers from the Turkic States have agreed to expand cooperation on key oil, gas...
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that he still hopes the U.S. administration will reconsid...
In a significant shift in its foreign policy, China has unveiled a new policy paper promising no-strings-attached development support to Latin America...
The U.S. is expected to keep the cargo of a Venezuelan-linked tanker recently seized, as the vessel heads to an American port for a formal forfeiture ...
As the world marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the progress in combating climate change is mixed....
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that he still hopes the U.S. administration will reconsider its decision to withdraw from the organisation next month, warning that its exit would be a loss for the world.
The U.S. is expected to keep the cargo of a Venezuelan-linked tanker recently seized, as the vessel heads to an American port for a formal forfeiture process, officials said.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, blocking streets and leaving large parts of the region without electricity.
Scores of demonstrators gathered outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo Tuesday (9 December) to protest against the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The world’s leading minds and voices will be honoured on Wednesday, 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, as Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm and Oslo.
In a dramatic Champions League clash at Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Qarabağ grabbed an early lead, but Ajax staged a thrilling comeback to win 4-2.
At least 19 people were killed and 16 injured as two buildings collapased in Morocco's Fes city according to the state news agency.
Iran's President Massoud Pezeshkian has begun a two day visit to Kazakhstan, with officials from both sides describing the trip as an opportunity to advance cooperation in trade, transport, industry, mining and cultural exchanges.
Time Magazine has chosen the creators behind artificial intelligence as its 2025 Person of the Year, highlighting the technology’s sweeping impact on global business, politics and daily life.
Children are forming new patterns of trust and attachment with artificial intelligence (AI) companions, entering a world where digital partners shape their play, their confidence and the conversations they no longer share with adults.
The International Robot Exhibition (IREX) opened in Tokyo on 3 December, bringing together visitors to explore robotics applications for industry, healthcare, logistics, and everyday life.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including prominent Republican China hawk Tom Cotton, introduced the SAFE CHIPS Act on Thursday, aiming to prevent the Trump administration from easing restrictions on China’s access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips for a period of 2.5 years.
A former Apple engineer has unveiled a new Chinese chip designed to compete directly with Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment