Meteorite maps

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A machine learning algorithm has identified potentially meteorite-rich sites in Antarctica. The icy continent is a mecca for meteorite hunters—the dry, cold environment keeps the rocks in pristine condition, and their dark colour makes them easy to spot against the white landscape. Still, you need a good dose of luck to find a meteorite stranding zone: areas of ice where wind conditions result in a high concentration of space rocks. The algorithm identified 600 stranding zones with more than 80 per cent accuracy. The findings suggest that there are plenty more meteorites yet to be recovered from the ice—including rare Martian specimens.

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A machine learning algorithm has identified potentially meteorite-rich sites in Antarctica. The icy continent is a mecca for meteorite hunters—the dry, cold environment keeps the rocks in pristine condition, and their dark colour makes them easy to spot against the white landscape. Still, you need a good dose of luck to find a meteorite stranding zone: areas of ice where wind conditions result in a high concentration of space rocks. The algorithm identified 600 stranding zones with more than 80 per cent accuracy. The findings suggest that there are plenty more meteorites yet to be recovered from the ice—including rare Martian specimens.

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