Almost a century ago, a meteorite turned up in a drawer at Purdue University. By the university’s own account, how it got there is a mystery — and if someone doesn’t draw inspiration from this and create the great Midwestern steampunk novel of our time,

The Lafayette meteorite was discovered in a drawer at Purdue University in 1931, with no clear indication of how it got there. A new analysis of the rock reveals evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago.

Researchers from Purdue University have confirmed the so-called Lafayette Meteorite encountered Water before it left Mars behind. The unlikely journey that brought the Lafayette Meteorite to Purdue University’s Department of Earth,