Report request: I write short articles in “Astronomy for All,” a magazine for the lay reader with an interest in astronomy and related subjects. Our readers take great interest in stories on the evolution of the solar system and, of course, the life within it. 
I am writing an article on recent discoveries about the Murchison meteorite. I am particularly interested in the composition of the meteorite, and how these new findings were achieved.

Assessment questions and gold answers:
question_text: Where did the Murchison meteorite make landfall?
gold_answers: Murchison, Australia
Australia
question_text: How heavy was the Murchison meteorite?
gold_answers: 100 kilograms
question_text: The presolar grains in the Murchison meteorite were mostly composed of what?
gold_answers: Silicon Carbide
question_text: How old were these grains?
gold_answers: Between 5 and 7 billion years old
question_text: How does the age of the grains compare to that of our Solar System?
gold_answers: They are older than the Sun
question_text: How does the age of the grains compare to that of our Solar System?
gold_answers: They are older than the Earth
question_text: What other materials do we have that are older than the Solar System?
gold_answers: Nothing older than presolar grains
question_text: What if any organic compounds were found in the Murchison meteorite?
gold_answers: Amino acids
question_text: What if any organic compounds were found in the Murchison meteorite?
gold_answers: Ribose
question_text: What if any organic compounds were found in the Murchison meteorite?
gold_answers: Other sugars
question_text: What does the discovery of sugars in the meteorite indicate about the origin of life on Earth?
gold_answers: Asteroids could have supplied organic molecules
question_text: What advances could the discovery of water molecules in the Murchison meteorite lead to?
gold_answers: A process for extracting water on the moon or elsewhere in space
question_text: What did the scientists use pieces of the meteorite for?
gold_answers: To work out algorithms for identifying extraterrestrial life