Scientists from Cambridge University have found a way to read the ancient information contained inside meteorites, according to BBC.
They noted that the data can be used to gain a deeper understanding of the Earth's core.
For the study, the researchers used meteorites that crashed in Argentina. They said these may have broken off from large asteroids or even an alien planet more than four billion years ago.
According to their investigation, the meteorites contain magnetic signals that could indicate details of the formation and destruction of an asteroid or planet's core.
In other words, the meteorite fragments function like a computer's hard drive that records information regarding the large space rocks, the Washington Post reported.
To understand the information stored inside the meteorites, the scientists used a synchrotron, which is like a high-powered microscope that takes X-ray images.
Using this device, they were able to decode the signals and learn the exact time when the liquid metal core of the asteroid froze and solidified which eventually killed its magnetic field.
Dr. Richard Harrison, the lead scientist of the study, said that like the asteroids, Earth also has a liquid metal core. Through the information collected from the fragments, he and his team could learn more about Earth's own core solidification process.
"By studying an asteroid we get to see this in fast forward," he told BBC. "We can see that start of core solidification in the magnetic records as well as its end, and start to think about how these processes work on Earth."
"In our meteorites we've been able to capture both the beginning and end of core freezing, which will help us understand how these processes affected the Earth in the past and provide a possible glimpse of what might happen in the future."
Like what happened with the asteroids, Earth's magnetic field will most likely deteriorate and collapse once the core freezes. When this happens, Earth will be defenseless against the cosmic radiation from the Sun.
