Study Casts Doubt on Solar System Theory
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The most abundant form of stardust in our solar system has long been thought to be tiny grains of diamonds, nanodiamonds, that are older than the sun.
If this theory is true, there should be plenty of nanodiamonds in material from comets, since they are also made of pre-solar material.
But an analysis of interplanetary dust from early meteorites by J.P. Bradley of the Georgia Institute of Technology revealed a dearth of diamonds, suggesting that these microgems probably formed after the sun and closer to Earth, and that views of our early solar system may need to be revised.
