Researchers at the museum received 100mg of the pristine material, which at 4.6bn years old dates back to the dawn of the solar system, after Nasa's Osiris-Rex mission stopped at asteroid Bennu in 2020 and returned samples to Earth in September.
Scientists expect to study the samples for decades as they seek to understand how the solar system formed and whether asteroids delivered substantial amounts of water to Earth and other planets.
Beyond the questions of our cosmic origins are more existential matters, such as how to deflect or destroy asteroids that pose a potential threat to Earth.
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