4.5 billion-year-old asteroid could reveal the origins of life on Earth

The otherwise unremarkable black dust-like sample could help shed light on some of the biggest questions about how Earth formed

An asteroid could reveal the origins of life on Earth (Aaron Chown/PA)

Samples of a 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid that have travelled millions of miles to make it to Earth could reveal the origins of life on the planet.

The teaspoon-sized specimen, taken from asteroid Bennu, is being examined by scientists at the Natural History Museum (NHM).