New research published earlier this week in the journal Nature has revealed that the Earth and other planetary objects formed during the early years of the solar system share similar chemical origins – a discovery that is in stark contrast to what scientists have believed for decades. Using data collected through thermal ionization mass spectrometry, Audrey Bouvier, a professor and cosmochemist from Western University in Ontario, Canada, and Maud Boyet of the Magmas and Volcanoes Laboratory at Blaise Pascal University in Clermont-Ferrand, France, reported that Earth and several other extraterrestrial objects share identical initial Neodymium-142 levels. Neodymium-142 (142Nd) is one of seven isotopes found in the chemical element neodymium, a metal that is widely distributed in the Earth's crust and commonly used to create magnets for use in commercial products such as microphones and earbuds, the authors explained in a statement. "How the Earth was formed and what type of planetary