I am thrilled to announce the making of a new film about micrometeorites. The working title of this exciting documentary is “Stardust”, which we feel is most appropriate. For the film, we met with legendary French scientists Michel Maurette and Jean Duprat!
Today we filmed in Paris, France, where we met with Jean Duprat at the Natural History Museum. He and Cecile Engrand are former students of micrometeorite pioneer Michel Maurette. Dr. Maurette initiated the French Concordia Research Station project 22 years ago.
Almost every year since then, researchers have carried out expeditions to Dôme Concordia in Antarctica to search for micrometeorites. One of their amazing discoveries is the ultracarbonaceous Antarctic micrometeorites, or UCAMMs. These fascinating micrometeorites contain complex organic molecules, including amino acids, lipids, sugar, and water — the building blocks of life.
The big question I have on my mind is, “Was life on Earth ignited by cosmic dust?”
Beyond this historic question, I have many others prepared for these wonderful French scientists today. Stay tuned on Instagram and Twitter for updates!
Yours truly,
Jon Larsen
