Researchers propose that a meteorite strike billions of years ago may have seeded Scotland with ancient life, adding cosmic drama to the nation’s already eccentric past. Forget folklore—the real mystery may be microbe-hitchhiking asteroids and interplanetary biology at work.

Microscope scans revealed reidite—a mineral only born in meteorite impacts—locked inside Stac Fada’s zircon crystals. With the crater still missing, scientists say this “alien fingerprint” could rewrite how we understand meteorite impacts and early Earth evolution.