A type of mineral that contains both biological and pyroxene-like crystalline structures, found in some meteorites and biological samples.
From bio- (life) + pyribole, a mineralogical term derived from Greek pyr- (fire) and -bole (thrown), referring to minerals formed under heat. The term emerged in late 20th-century mineralogy to describe compounds showing both biological and mineral properties.
Biopyriboles are super weird because they blur the line between what we think of as 'living' and 'non-living'—scientists find them in space rocks and in bones, suggesting that complex mineral structures might have played a role in how life started on Earth!
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