NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned the samples from Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid, in 2023. It's the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon.
Asteroid samples that were returned on a NASA spacecraft show the ingredients of life. What’s more, the samples also have the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists said on Wednesday.
The latest findings provide the strongest evidence that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned with 4 ounces of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in 2023.The samples contained black grains and were dispersed to two separate research teams for study. The sodium-rich minerals had the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code. NASA’s Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia.
"That's the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life," said the Smithsonian Institution’s Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors. "This discovery was only possible by analyzing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth," the Institute of Science Tokyo’s Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Asteroid Bennu Samples Reveal Clues to the Origins of LifeNASA's OSIRIS-REx mission has delivered samples from asteroid Bennu, which contain the building blocks for life and may have played a role in its emergence on Earth.
Read more »
Unprecedented asteroid samples contain organic compounds and minerals crucial to life, scientists sayScientists have detected organic compounds and minerals necessary for life in the samples collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission from a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu.
Read more »
NASA finds key molecules for life in OSIRIS-REx asteroid samples. Here's what that meansMonisha Ravisetti is Space.com's Astronomy Editor. She covers black holes, star explosions, gravitational waves, exoplanet discoveries and other enigmas hidden across the fabric of space and time. Previously, she was a science writer at CNET, and before that, reported for The Academic Times.
Read more »
Asteroid Bennu Yields Organic Molecules and Clues to Life's OriginsNASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from asteroid Bennu, revealing a treasure trove of organic molecules, including amino acids and nucleobases, essential building blocks of life. Scientists believe these findings suggest that the ingredients for life may have been widespread throughout the early solar system.
Read more »
Asteroid Bennu's Samples Reveal Building Blocks of LifeNASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from asteroid Bennu, revealing the presence of amino acids, nucleobases, and evidence of ancient briny environments, suggesting asteroids may have delivered life's ingredients to Earth.
Read more »
Bennu Asteroid Samples Reveal Widespread Building Blocks of Life in Early Solar System.Analysis of material from asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft reveals the presence of organic compounds, including amino acids and nucleotide bases, indicating that the fundamental building blocks of life were abundant in the early solar system.
Read more »