Credit: China Lunar Exploration Project A tiny glass bead retrieved by China's Chang'e-5 lunar mission is offering scientists a glimpse into the moon's hidden depths and providing insight into the ...

More information: Chen-Long Ding et al, A potential mantle origin for precursor rocks of high-Mg impact glass beads in Chang'e-5 soil, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adv9019 Provided ...

The sample in question is a glass bead, which came along with a 3.7-pound (1.7-kilogram) cache of rock and soil collected from the moon. This bead is tiny, measuring just a fraction of an inch wide.

Tiny Glass Beads Suggest the Moon Had Active Volcanoes When Dinosaurs Roamed Earth NEW YORK (AP) — Volcanoes were still erupting on the moon when dinosaurs roamed Earth, new research suggests.

Two mysterious, translucent glass balls have been found on the far side of the moon and scientists think they know how they got there. China's Yutu-2 rover sent back images of the objects.

"These high-magnesium glass beads may have formed when an asteroid smashed into rocks that originated from the mantle deep within the moon," Professor Nemchin said. "This is exciting, because we ...