Researchers have found that the meteorite, which landed in northwest Africa, contains more water remains than any other fragment from Mars, according to a communique from the university released Thursday.

The sample dates back some 2.1 billion years, when Mars was at the start of its most recent geological epoch known as the Amazonian.

The statement said that the meteorite, dubbed NWA 7034 (for North West Africa), interacted with the Martian atmosphere some 2.1 billion years ago, which would explain the abundance of water molecules in the rock, some 6,000 parts per million.

"Perhaps most exciting is that the high water content could mean there was an interaction of the rocks with surface water either from volcanic magma, or from fluids from impacting comets during that time," said Andre Steele of the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory.

"It is the richest Martian meteorite geochemically, and further analyses are bound to unleash more surprises," he said.

Researchers believe the meteorite's chemistry suggests that it comes from the crust of Mars or the upper mantle, something scientists have never seen before. EFE

After an almost six-hour siege by some 40 police officers and special forces, authorities told the local NBC channel in Denver that they found four bodies in the home they had cordoned off, one of them being that of the suspected assailant.

Another person managed to escape the house as the incident began and alerted police, according to the same TV channel.

The security forces, who were shot at from inside the house, responded by throwing tear gas bombs at the building where the suspect was thought to be holding the other three people hostage.

The siege began at 3:00 a.m. and ended around 8:30 a.m.

Witnesses described how they started hearing shots being fired in the last moments.

The identities and ages of the victims are still unknown, as are the motives for the shooting.

The spokeswoman for the Aurora police, Sgt. Cassidee Carlson, said the fatalities were believed to be relatives of the gunman who started the standoff.

Several homes near the building where the shooter had dug in were evacuated and residents were taken to a fire station.

Aurora is the same town near Denver where last July a young man killed 12 people and wounded another 58 at a movie theater.

The incident comes just three weeks after Adam Lanza, 20, committed suicide after killing his mother and then gunning down 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in a tragedy that has sparked a debate in the United States about gun control. EFE

Due to dehydration caused by a stomach problem, the secretary of state suffered a dizzy spell and hit her head, the reason why doctors are at her side monitoring the situation.
The communique added that Clinton will work from her home this weekend.
Clinton canceled a trip to the Middle East last week after being infected by a stomach virus, and is unlikely to testify next week as scheduled before the U.S. Congress about the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last Sept. 11.
According to the media, doctors do not believe she will be able to attend the hearing, which is much anticipated due to the controversy sparked by confused government reports in the hours following the attack, though the communique made no reference to her possible absence.
Despite President Barack Obama's reelection, Clinton has announced that she will not continue to head U.S. diplomacy during his second term. Her replacement has not yet been announced. EFE

Eighteen youngsters were pronounced dead at the scene and two others died later at the hospital, state police Lt. Paul Vance told a press conference.

The six adult victims at the school included the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary, while another adult found slain at a different location is thought to have been killed by the same shooter.
The perpetrator apparently took his own life.
"We are not going to confirm the identity of the shooter," Vance said, adding that police could not release additional details pending completion of the investigation.
He revealed, however, that one person who was shot inside the school survived and said an FBI team had already arrived in Newtown to assist in the probe.
All of the shootings at Sandy Hook took place in two classrooms, Vance said.
"Earlier today, beautiful children had their lives taken away from them," Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said at the same press conference.
"You can never be prepared for this type of tragedy," he said.
"We have endured too many tragedies in recent years," an emotional President Barack Obama told reporters at the White House. "Our hearts are broken today."
The president ordered flags at government buildings flown at half-staff in honor of the victims and the White House announced that because of the massacre, Obama would not be making a visit to Portland, Maine, scheduled for next Wednesday.
Authorities received a 911 call at 9:41 a.m. Friday and Connecticut state police quickly dispatched emergency units to the school in Newtown, which has 450 students. EFE