“This meteorite is special because it fell onto a frozen lake and was recovered quickly. It was very pristine. We could see the minerals weren't much altered and later found that it contained a rich inventory of extraterrestrial organic compounds,” Heck said in a statement. “These kinds of organic compounds were likely delivered to the early Earth by meteorites and might have contributed to the ingredients of life.”

The researchers determined that it was a rare H4 chondrite meteorite, representing only four percent of those found on Earth. The initial analysis determined that it contained over 2,600 separate organic compounds that