Contaminants, including ink, detected in meteorites suggest sample preparation needs improving

The IBeA group at EHU-University of the Basque Country proposes new measures to safeguard the purity of extraterrestrial samples. Several contaminants, including traces of ink, from the preparation of subsamples, have been identified in Martian meteorites by the EHU research group. This discovery highlights the importance of stricter protocols to avoid misinterpretations of the composition of these rocks and to ensure the reliability of future studies and sample return missions to Mars. The research is published in the journal Applied Geochemistry.