When asteroids crash into Ceres it acts as a superabsorbent sponge instead of sending most of the debris back into space, according to a study by Brown University.

Researchers simulated collisions into Ceres using the Vertical Gun Range at NASA's Ames Research Center in California and found most of the impact material stays put in the impact crater. This suggests Ceres' surface could contain billions of years of meteoritic material.

So what's the big deal if Ceres is a giant sponge sucking up anything blasting into its surface? Missions like NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission hoping to return asteroid samples to Earth could come back with samples that aren't true to the object's native material. Landing sites should be chosen near areas where there has been recent impact, the study said.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft will begin mapping Ceres at its lowest and final orbit of 230 miles above the surface this month.

Plastic found in fish in markets

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, and Hasanuddin University in Indonesia are reporting some of the first findings of plastic debris and textile fibers in the fish on consumer's dinner plates.

About a quarter of the fish sampled from markets in California and Indonesia contained the man-made debris, said the study in the online journal Scientific Reports. The researchers also discovered a stark contrast between the types of debris found in fish from both locations. In Indonesia, they found plastic fragments. In California, a majority of the contaminants consisted of fibers from textiles.

The variations in debris types probably reflect differences in local waste management strategies, according to the study. Plastic debris and fibers were found only in fishes' guts. Therefore, humans are likely to ingest man-made debris only if fish is eaten whole, a common practice in Indonesia.

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