Mars may have been losing its water more than 4 billion years ago, oldest-known Martian meteorite suggests

A close up of a large reddish rock against a blue background.

An unassuming, brownish stone may be one of the most precious objects on Earth. The rare rock, called Teghaza 001, is a piece of ancient Mars and gives geoscientists an invaluable opportunity to study the planet's oldest material.

Now, a slew of recent studies based on evidence from the space rock are helping scientists understand more about the Red Planet's history of habitability.