Although much of Dr. Antonelli’s work focuses on high-temperature environments, the same fundamental principles of isotopic fractionation apply across all natural systems and can be extended to problems in cosmochemistry, (paleo)ecology, and biology. Understanding the evolution of the Earth, other terrestrial planets, and the early solar system is essential for constraining the nebular conditions that favor the formation of oxygen-rich planets and, ultimately, life in the cosmos.

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Through analyses of multiple sulfur isotopes in iron meteorites, Antonelli demonstrated that small anomalous Δ³³S and Δ³⁶S signatures result from photochemical processes operating in the early solar nebula. This work further showed that differentiated protoplanets (achondrites) incorporated photochemically processed components from the early inner solar system, implying formation closer to the Sun—within the Earth-forming region—than non-differentiated protoplanets (chondrites). These findings provided an early demonstration of the CC–NC dichotomy in the evolving solar system (Antonelli et al., 2014, PNAS). He is currently working with one of his MS students to better understand the formation of the moon by analyzing a suite of recently acquired lunar meteorites.