Niger’s anger that a piece of Mars ended up for auction

“Brazen! It’s brazen!” Prof. Paul Sereno says on the telephone line from Chicago.

He made no effort to conceal his anger that a rare meteorite from Mars, discovered two years ago in the West African nation of Niger, was eventually auctioned in New York last month for an unnamed buyer.

The paleontologist, who has close ties with the country, thinks he should return to Niger.

This millions of years of the red planet, the largest on earth, Extracted $ 4.3 million (3.2 million pounds) at Sotheby’sS Like the buyer, the seller was maintained anonymous.

But it is unclear if any of this money went to Niger.

Fragments of extraterrestrial material that make their way to Earth have long inspired reverence among humans – some end as religious objects, others as curiosity for display. Most recently, many have become the subject of scientific research.

Meteorite trade is compared to the art market, with aesthetics and rarity affecting price.

At first, there was a sense of awe of the public display of this exceptional Martian find – less than 400 of the 50,000 meteorites discovered from our planetary neighbor.

Photos taken at Sotheby’s of 24.7 kg (54 pounds) rock – appearing in the lights to light silver and red – intensified that feeling.

But then some people started asking questions about how he found himself under the hammer’s hammer.

Last but not least the government of Niger himself, which, in a statement“He expressed doubts about the legality of his export, raising concerns about the possible unlawful international traffic.”

Sotebi categorically disputes this, saying that the right procedures have been followed, but Niger has already begun an investigation into the circumstances of the discovery and sale of the meteorite, which is given the scientific and uneven name NWA 16788 (NWA stands for Northwest Africa).

It is a little announced about how it ended up in a world -famous auction house in the United States.

An Italian academic article Posted last year, it is said that it was found on November 16, 2023 in the Sahara Desert in the Niger Agades region, 90 km (56 miles) to the west of the Chirfa oasis, from a “meteorite hunter whose identity remains undisclosed.”

Meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, but due to the favorable storage climate and lack of human disturbance, the Sahara has become a major place for their discovery. People are looking for the inhospitable landscape that extends to several countries in the hope of finding one to sell.

According to the Italian article, the NWA 16788 was “sold by the local community of an international dealer” and was then transferred to a private gallery in the Italian city of Artsio.

The magazine of the University of Florence described the man as “an important owner of an Italian gallery”.

A team of scientists led by Giovanni Messeys, a professor of mineralogy at the university, was able to study it to learn more about its structure and where it comes from. The meteorite was then briefly displayed last year in Italy, including in the Italian Space Agency in Rome.

He then saw public in New York last month, minus two slices that remained in Italy for more research.

Sotheby’s said the NWA 16788 was “exported by Niger and transported in accordance with all relevant international procedures.

“As with everything we sell, all the appropriate documentation was in order at every stage of its trip, in accordance with the best practices and requirements of the participating countries.”

A spokesman added that Sotheby was aware of reports that Niger was investigating the export of meteorite and “we are reviewing the information we are available in the light of the raised question.”

Prof. Sereno, who founded the Nigeric Heritage Organization decade ago, is convinced that Nigeren Law was violated.

The Academician with the University of Chicago, who spent years in revealing the huge deposits of the dinosaur bones in Sahara, campaigns to obtain the cultural and natural heritage of Niger – including everything that fell from the space space – returned.

A stunning museum on the island of the Niger River, which runs through the capital, Niami, is planned to shelter these artifacts.

“International law says that you cannot simply take something that is important to the heritage of a country – be it a cultural object, a physical object, a natural object, an extraterrestrial object – outside the country. You know that we have moved from colonial times when all this is fine,” says Prof. Sereno.

A series of global agreements, including within the UN Cultural Organization, have tried to regulate trade with these sites. But, According to a 2019 study The international law expert Max Gunnel, as far as meteorites are concerned, while they can be included, remains aware of whether they are covered by these agreements. It is left to the individual states to clarify the position.

Niger passed his own law in 1997, aimed at protecting his heritage.

Prof. Sereno indicates one section with a detailed list of all categories included. “Mineralist specimens” are mentioned among artistic works, architecture and archeological finds, but meteorites are not explicitly called.

In his statement about the sale of Sotheby, Niger admitted that “there is still no specific meteorite legislation” – a line that the auction house also pointed out. But it is not clear how someone managed to get such a heavy, noticeable artifact outside the country, without the authorities obviously notice.

Morocco has encountered a similar problem with the huge number of meteorites – more than 1000 – found within its boundaries that include part of the Sahara.

More than two decades ago, the country was experiencing what author Helen Gordon described as “Saharan Gold Rush”, nourished in part by Laxer, provisions and a more stable political environment than some of her neighbors.

In her recent book, Meteorites, she wrote that Morocco was “one of the largest space exporters in the world.”

Prof. Hanaa Chenai Audzhehane has spent much of the last 25 years trying to keep some of this extraterrestrial material in her country.

“This is part of us, it’s part of our heritage … It’s part of our identity and it’s important to be proud of the country’s wealth,” the geologist tells the BBC.

The professor is not against the meteorite trade, but it plays an important role in the introduction of measures aimed at regulating business. However, she acknowledges that the new rules have not been fully successful in the resulting stream of meteorites.

In 2011, Professor Chenwi was responsible for collecting materials in the desert from an observed meteorite fall, which turned out to be from Mars.

Later called Tissint Meteorite, he weighed 7 kg, but now she says only 30 g stays in Morocco. Some of the others are in museums around the world, with the biggest piece on display in the London Museum of Natural History.

Reflecting on the fate of Niger’s Martian meteorite, she says she has not been surprised because it is “something I have lived with for 25 years. It’s a pity, we can’t be satisfied with it, but it’s the same country in all our countries.”

Prof. Sereno hopes that Sotheby’s sale will be a repeat point – first by motivating Nigen’s authorities to act, and secondly, “if he ever sees the light of the day in a public museum (the museum), he will have to deal with the fact that Niger openly disputes.”