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[egotrip]

Mars and Mercury were formed from the scraps of Earth and Venus, according to a radical new theory of rocky planet formation.

The model could explain some characteristics of Mars and Mercury that have long puzzled scientists, said Brad Hansen, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"In this picture, Mars and Mercury are essentially byproducts" of Earth and Venus, said Hansen, who presented his research at a recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Long Beach, California.

Mars and Mercury Formed From Planetary Scraps