00:00About 4.6 billion years ago, our solar system was still a cloud of gas and dust.
00:05New research from MIT suggests magnetism may have helped shape that early system.
00:10Scientists studied an ancient meteorite discovered in Antarctica in 2008.
00:15Inside it, they found tiny mineral grains formed during the solar system's first 200,000 years.
00:21These grains preserved traces of a magnetic field from that distant era.
00:25Researchers estimate the field reached 150 to 600 microteslas.
00:30That is roughly 3 to 12 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field today.
00:34The meteorite, known as Dom E.O.T.O.S.E., is remarkably well-preserved.
00:40Its minerals may have recorded conditions from before the sun fully formed.
00:45Scientists say the magnetic field could have helped move gas inward toward the young sun.
00:49Gravity was already known to drive the collapse of the solar nebula.
00:53But the findings suggest magnetism also played an important role.
00:57The discovery could change how scientists understand the earliest stages of solar system formation.
01:02Disclosure
01:03This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.
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