Portsmouth university study looks at planet secrets

The study, carried out by the University of Portsmouth, uses a new imaging approach to locate and count individual atoms in planetary materials.

The research was led by PhD student Lee White, who said: ‘Because of the challenges scientists face in dating these complex materials, many meteorites could be older than previously thought.

‘This could affect what we think regarding the age of the major planetary events in our solar system.’

Co-author and Lee’s supervisor Dr James Darling, senior lecturer in geology in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said: ‘By imaging the location of individual atoms, this new approach provides the incredible ability to resolve how deformation can affect the chemistry of materials.

The study has been published in Nature Communications.