New results published in Nature Communications show that M-type asteroids can absorb more energy and may even become tougher under stress, challenging conventional models of how these bodies break apart.

The study reveals that internal stress redistribution within heterogeneous meteorites enhances energy dissipation and can prevent fragmentation, helping explain why meteorite breakups in Earth's atmosphere don’t always match laboratory strength tests.

Researchers used real-time surface vibration measurements via Doppler vibrometry to observe how the material deforms and strengthens under rapidly rising stress, noting energy absorption deeper inside without fracturing.

An international team used CERN’s HiRadMat facility to irradiate a Campo del Cielo iron meteorite with 440 GeV proton beams to study how metal-rich asteroids respond to extreme stress during atmospheric entry.

The findings have potential implications for planetary defense and asteroid-deflection strategies, suggesting energy can be delivered deeper inside an asteroid without causing it to break apart, which could inform deflection methods.