It's another meteoric rise for what's called the largest piece of Mars on Earth. The 54-pound rock fetched nearly $5.3 ...

A 54-pound meteorite from Mars sold for more than $5 million when it went up for auction on Wednesday at Sotheby's.

The Martian rock, known as NWA 16788, is 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars that has been recovered, according to the auction house.

It sold for more than the maximum estimated price of $4 million. On Wednesday (July 16), the largest Mars meteorite on Earth was auctioned off at Sotheby's in New York City for $4.3 million.

Mars and Earth share similar origins: rocky planets with water and carbon, located in a potentially habitable zone. Yet one ...

"Our work is a new piece of evidence that suggests that Mars was once a much more complex and active planet than it is now." ...