Two subclasses of cestodes are differentiated on the basis of the numbers of larval hooks, the Cestodaria being decacanth (10 hooks) and the Eucestoda being hexacanth (6 hooks). Collectively, 14 orders of cestodes have been identified according to differences in parasite morphology and developmental cycles.
Most meteorites originate between Mars and Jupiter, where a belt of asteroids has lingered for 4.5 billion years, since the solar system was young. No rock on Earth is as old as a meteoriteâall terrestrial material has been ground, melted, and reformed by plate tectonics. Meteorites have other, less common, origins. Meteor impacts on the moon or Mars can eject surface material into space that ends up on Earth. Last year a 10.5-ounce meteorite that originated on Mars fetched $94,000. A 4-pound lunar meteorite, the most expensive ever auctioned, sold for $330,000 in 2012.
The most common type of meteorite found on Earth, about 75% of those identified, are chondrites, stony bits of space rocks that didnât undergo any melting while out in space. Two astronomers say have determined that most of these meteorites come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Using the GEMINI telescope, they found that asteroids in that region are similar to chondrites found on Earth. This discovery is the first observational match between the most common meteorites and asteroids in the main belt. It also confirms the role of space weathering in altering asteroid surfaces. To find the parent asteroid of a meteorite, the astronomers compared the spectra of a meteorite specimen to those of asteroids. This is a difficult task because meteorites and their parent asteroids underwent different processes after the meteorite was ejected.