"Earth's Boomerang Meteorite: A Return Journey After Millennia"

Scientists have discovered a peculiar rock, designated Northwest Africa 13188, that appears to be a meteorite but has a composition similar to rocks found deep in the ocean. They propose a radical explanation that the rock was knocked off Earth, traveled through space for thousands of years, and then returned. The rock's chemical composition and isotopic analysis suggest it originated from Earth, but its well-developed fusion crust and isotopic concentrations of beryllium, helium, and neon consistent with exposure to cosmic rays for 10,000 years support its classification as a meteorite. Further isotopic analysis is being conducted to understand how it left Earth and returned.