Analysis of asteroid Bennu's samples reveals sodium-rich minerals, amino acids, and nitrogen compounds, suggesting that asteroids may have delivered the building blocks of life to Earth and that these ingredients interacted with water early in the planet's history.
Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday.The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start.
Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, 'that's really the pathway to life,' said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History's curator of meteorites. 'These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before.'NASA's Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia.
ASTEROIDS LIFE EVOLUTION SOLAR SYSTEM WATER
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