Largest Mars rock found on Earth sold for $4.3M at Sotheby’s auction
Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The largest Mars meteorite ever found on Earth was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on Wednesday for $4.3 million.
The Martian rock, known as NWA 16788, weighs more than 54 pounds, is nearly 15 inches long and is 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars that has been recovered, according to the auction house.
Sotheby’s said the piece broke from the surface of Mars following a recent asteroid strike and traveled more than 140 million miles across the Solar System.
It crashed in the Sahara Desert in the Agadez region of Nigeria and was found by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, Sotheby’s said.
“This is the largest piece of Mars on planet Earth. The odds of this getting from there to here are astronomically small,” Cassandra Hatton, vice chairman of science and natural history at Sotheby’s, said in a video posted online. “Remember that approximately 70% of Earth’s surface is covered in water. So we’re incredibly lucky that this landed on dry land instead of the middle of the ocean where we could actually find it.”
The auction house said the reddish brown rock is “unbelievably rare” because meteorites from Mars make up just 400 of the 77,000 officially recognized meteorites. According to Sotheby’s, the rock that was sold represents 6.5% of all Martian material currently on Earth.
Hatton said a sample of the rock was sent to a specialized laboratory to be tested for Maskelynite glass, which is only found in meteorites.
Testing determined the rock is an olivine-gabbroic shergottite, which is a relatively new type of Martian meteorite, according to an April 2024 report from researchers the U.S. and Canada. It was formed from the as magma on Mars slowly cooled, Sotheby’s said, and contains materials such as olivine, which is also found in Earth’s upper mantle.
“This isn’t just a miraculous find, but a massive data set that can help us unlock the secrets of our neighbor, the red planet,” Hatton said.
Prior to going up for auction at Sotheby’s, the rock was in a public exhibit at the Italian Space Agency in Rome during the 2024 European Researchers’ Night and in a private gallery in Arezzo, Tuscany.
It’s unclear who the current owner is and if the Martian rock will be in a public or a private collection.
Also up for auction was a Ceratosaurus skeleton from the late Jurassic period, about 154 to 149 million years ago, which was sold for $30.5 million, and the skull of a Pachycephalosaurus from the late Cretaceous period 72 million to 66 million years ago for $1.75 million.
Wednesday’s auction, containing 122 items, is part of Sotheby’s Geek Week, which holds sales for items related to natural history, the history of science and technology, and space exploration.
Among the items up for sale on Thursday, the final day of Geek Week, include a first generation of Apple-1 computer from the first batch of 50 built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976.
(NEW YORK) — In a split verdict, hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was found guilty of two of the five charges he faced but was acquitted of the most serious charge, racketeering conspiracy, capping a high-profile trial in Manhattan federal court.
Combs was also acquitted of two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion – pertaining to former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another former girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.”
However, the jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution – one each for Ventura and “Jane.” Combs faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for each of those counts.
Following six weeks of testimony presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian that saw the prosecution present 34 witnesses and the defense present none, the jury of eight men and four women deliberated just over two days before reaching their verdicts.
The verdicts sparked mixed reactions at the lower Manhattan courthouse and beyond.
Combs got down from his chair and knelt on the floor after the verdicts were read, appearing to pray while some of his attorneys embraced. Marshals then escorted Combs out of the courtroom while some spectators in the gallery cheered and applauded.
Subramanian said he will decide whether Combs get released today before he adjourned the court. He said that the decision might take some time – including giving the lawyers time to write letters arguing for and against release – but that it will happen sometime today. Prosecutors asked for a “few hours” and the judge gave them until 1 p.m. ET to submit their arguments.
Prosecutor Maurene Comey said the government plans to pursue “significant incarceration” for Combs.
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said that Combs should be released today.
“I am not saying it is not a serious crime. It is a crime of a vastly different nature,” he said. “I believe that a significant change in conditions is warranted.”
“Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution,” Douglas Wigdor, the attorney for Cassie Ventura, Sean Combs’ ex-girlfriend and a witness in the case, said in a statement.
“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,” the statement continued, in part. “We believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion.”
“This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors,” the statement concluded.
“Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which prosecuted the case, said in a statement. “Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice.”
“Prosecuting sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these cases,” the statement concluded.
Combs was initially indicted in September 2024 on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation to engage in prostitution. A superseding indictment in March 2025 included additional allegations of forced labor under the racketeering conspiracy count, while another superseding indictment the following month added an additional charge of sex trafficking and one of transportation to engage in prostitution
Federal prosecutors accused Combs of using his many businesses, and the people he employed to run them, to conduct a criminal enterprise to illegally coerce women into sex and conceal his alleged illicit conduct to protect his reputation. The alleged activities included “sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice,” according to the indictment.
In addition to the racketeering charge, the indictment also included two separate counts each of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution, both involving two alleged victims.
Combs’ attorneys countered that Combs may well be a violent man – one who indulges in unconventional sexual conduct, abused illegal drugs and committed domestic violence – but he wasn’t part of a broader criminal organization.
“This case is about those real-life relationships, and the government is trying to turn those relationships into a racketeering case,” Combs’ attorney, Teny Geragos, told jurors in her opening statement. “The evidence is going to show you a very flawed individual, but it will not show you a racketeer, a sex trafficker, or somebody transporting for prostitution.”
The prosecution called 34 witnesses over six weeks of testimony, beginning with Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, whom Combs was seen physically assaulting in a widely circulated hotel surveillance video from 2016. Other witnesses included two alleged Combs victims who testified under the pseudonyms “Mia” and “Jane,” as well as two male escorts to testified that they were paid to participate in so-called “freak-off” sexual encounters with Combs, Ventura and other alleged victims. The jury also heard from witnesses to alleged abuse and sexual acts, and a forensic psychologist who testified regarding why people often remain in abusive relationships.
One of the most high-profile prosecution witnesses was Scott Mescudi, aka rapper Kid Cudi, who testified that he was told Combs allegedly broke into his home and had someone set his car on fire after learning that he was dating Cassie Ventura. Combs previously denied any involvement in the car fire.
Federal prosecutors the following day told Judge Arun Subramanian that they were no longer including attempted kidnapping and attempted arson as underlying crimes in the alleged racketeering conspiracy charge against Combs. Instead, prosecutors signaled that they would push sex trafficking and forced labor as primary predicate acts that the jury could find to convict Combs of racketeering conspiracy.
Defense attorneys had argued that no evidence was presented directly tying Combs to the arson that damaged rapper Kid Cudi’s vehicle. Defense attorneys also argued that the alleged kidnapping of Combs’ former employee, Capricorn Clark, by Combs to confront Kid Cudi was far removed from the heart of the case. Federal prosecutors did not elaborate on their decision in their letter to the judge.
The prosecution delivered a nearly five-hour-long closing argument on Thursday, June 26, summarizing 28 days of testimony and evidence. The defense spent four hours the next day presenting their summation, followed by the prosecution rebuttal. Deliberations began on Monday, June 30 after Judge Arun Subramanian gave the jury their instructions.
On Tuesday, the jury told the court that they’d reached a verdict on four of the five five counts with which Combs was charged, they were unable to reach a verdict on the first count — racketeering conspiracy — prompting the judge to instruct them to continue deliberations.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Recession alarms blared across Wall Street in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement last month, but a recent trade agreement between the U.S. and China has dialed back many of those warnings.
JPMorgan on Tuesday lowered its odds of a recession this year from 60% to below 50%, meaning the U.S. is more likely to grow in 2025 than enter a downturn. Similarly, Goldman Sachs reduced its chances of a recession this year from 45% to 35%.
Stock market gains reflected such optimism. The S&P 500 soared in the immediate aftermath of the U.S.-China agreement, shrugging off previous tariff-induced losses and bringing the index into positive territory for 2025.
The accord between the world’s two largest economies slashed U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while cutting Chinese levies on U.S. products from 125% to 10%.
The previous set of sky-high tariffs had threatened a surge in prices, a disruption of global trade and a possible U.S. recession.
“The risk of a recession over the next 12 months looks substantially lower following the tariff cuts,” Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, told ABC News in a statement.
The drawdown of U.S.-China tariffs marks the latest softening of Trump’s levies.
The White House last month paused far-reaching “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries, just hours after the measures took effect. Trump has also eased sector-specific tariffs targeting autos, and rolled back duties on some goods from Mexico and Canada.
“These massive tariff reductions at this time likely take a recession off the table for now,” Dan Ives, a managing director of equity research at the investment firm Wedbush, told ABC News in a statement on Monday.
Still, an array of tariffs remain in place. An across-the-board 10% levy applies to imports from nearly all countries. Additional tariffs have hit auto parts, as well as steel and aluminum.
Even after the pullback, a 30% tariff on China far exceeds the level before Trump took office, posing a risk of price increases for a large swathe of products that includes apparel, toys and some electronics.
The rollback of levies on Chinese goods is expected to reduce the average cost of tariffs per household nearly by half but the cost burden will still reach $2,800 in 2025, the Yale Budget Lab found.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned last week of a possible tariff-induced bout of “stagflation,” a term that describes a rise of inflation alongside a slowdown of the economy.
Under such a scenario, the central bank could face difficulty as it weighs a choice between lower rates intended to boost the economy or higher rates aimed at easing inflation.
“If the large increase in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they’re likely to generate a rise in inflation and a slowdown of economic growth,” Powell said. “All of these policies are evolving, however, and their effects on the economy remain highly uncertain.”
For now, the economy has defied inflation fears. Inflation eased in the aftermath of the tariff escalation last month, reaching its lowest level since 2021, government data on Tuesday showed.
The path forward for tariffs remains uncertain, however, clouding the economic outlook, some analysts told ABC News.
The lowered U.S.-China tariffs will remain in place for 90 days while the two sides negotiate a wider trade deal. The White House says it has launched trade discussions with dozens of countries in an effort to strike trade agreements before a pause of the “reciprocal tariffs” lifts in July.
“Will the unpredictable nature of U.S. policy continue or are we now on a more conventional path?” Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank Research, said in a note to clients this week, just hours after the U.S. and China announced the trade agreement. “Not sure I have the answers.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Two women were shot and killed at a Kentucky church by a suspect who fled there after allegedly shooting a state trooper elsewhere, according to officials.
A suspect allegedly shot a Kentucky State Police trooper near the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, KY, and then fled to a church, where the suspect shot four people before police shot and killed the suspect, officials said at a Lexington Police Department press conference late Sunday afternoon.
Two of the churchgoers, both women, were killed, officials said. The other two victims, both male, were taken to the hospital for treatment. One of them is in critical condition while the other is stable, according to officials.
“Something like this has a huge impact on our community,” Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said during the press conference.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:36 a.m. on Sunday when a suspect “shot a trooper and then fled the scene,” Kentucky State Police said in a statement.
The suspect shot the trooper on Terminal Drive, adjacent to the Blue Grass Airport, then fled to the Richmond Road Baptist church, according to the Lexington Police Department.
The gunman was able to escape by carjacking a vehicle, police said during the press conference.
Officers were able to track the suspect’s vehicle, leading them to the church, where the suspect shot four individuals. The two women — a 72-year-old and a 32-year-old — were pronounced dead at the scene, and the two men were transported to the hospital.
The trooper wounded in the shooting is also receiving medical attention, according to the agencies, with the Lexington Police Department statement saying that the trooper “is in stable condition.”
The suspect was shot by responding law enforcement and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. The identity of the shooter will be provided once the suspect’s family has been notified, police said.
Officials said they believe that the suspect had a connection to individuals at the church. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
A official briefed on the investigation told ABC News that the suspect had a history of mental health, drug and anger issues. He had had a domestic situation with an ex-girlfriend who then filed protection orders against him, the official said.
Coroner Gary Ginn said the majority of the people at the church were related biologically or “have been friends for many years.”
“It’s a tight-knit group of people,” Ginn said during the press conference.
Lexington police said in an earlier statement that officers had “temporarily closed some roads nearby” the incident and that authorities will “remain in the area until the investigation is complete.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that he is “heartbroken” regarding the news of the two deaths.
“Violence like this has no place in our commonwealth or country. Kentucky, let’s stand strong together and support our Lexington neighbors during this difficult time,” Beshear said in a post shared on X. Police said they will provide more information on the incident “as it becomes available.”
