The result, after several days, was a sludgy brown stain at the bottom of the reaction vessel a stain that proved to contain amino acids.

ECONOMIST: Stanley Miller

"From outer space, all you can see at first is ice and a little brown stain, " said research fellow Michelle LaRue at the University of Minnesota's Polar Geospatial Center.

WSJ: Emperor Penguins Aplenty in Antarctica

The shavings were then immunostained bathed in a special reagent that would mark the presence of abnormal proteins with a bright, telltale red or brown stain on the surface of the tissue.

NEWYORKER: Offensive Play

Officials tried to stain the marbles brown again, put up a railing (which still survives) to keep the public at a decent distance, and held an internal inquiry designed to place blame on lowly members of staff with drinking problems.

ECONOMIST: Scraping the marbles