Could specks from space be alien visitors?

Turns out – there may be itsy-bitsy aliens among us.

Scientists say seven microscopic particles collected by Nasa’s comet-chasing spacecraft Stardust appear to have originated outside our solar system. If confirmed, this would be the world’s first sampling of contemporary interstellar dust.

The dust collectors were exposed to space in the early 2000s and returned to Earth in 2006. Since then, dozens of scientists worldwide led by physicist Andrew Westphal of the University of California, Berkeley, have hunted for specks and analysed the “precious” grains found.