VIDEO: UCC graduate solves meteorite mystery that puzzled scientists for decades

A former physics graduate from UCC has solved a mystery that has puzzled planetary scientists and Antarctic explorers for decades.

A hidden reserve of iron-rich meteorites which could hold secrets to the formation of the solar system may be hidden beneath the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet, according to Michael Coughlan and a team from the University of Manchester.

The paper, which he co-authored with the team and was published in Nature Communications , suggests that these meteorites could be just 10-50cm from the surface, making their retrieval tantalisingly possible.