US EditionAsteroid Bennu Samples Reveal Key Ingredients for Life
- The chemical building blocks of life have been found in asteroid Bennu, as revealed by an analysis of samples collected by a NASA spacecraft.
- The samples contain 14 of the 20 amino acids used to build proteins and all four nucleobases that make up DNA.
- Scientists discovered ammonia and nitrogen-rich organic matter in the samples, supporting theories that asteroids delivered vital ingredients to Earth.
- The findings raise questions about the origins of life and the potential for life on other worlds in the solar system.
278 Articles
278 Articles
Tagesschau
SalonThe asteroid Bennu is a time capsule from the time when our solar system was formed. Rock samples from Bennu now show that the basic building blocks for life were widespread in the early solar system. By Uwe Gradwohl.
The Sun
The US SunHuge leap in search for aliens as ‘building blocks for LIFE’ found on asteroid
HUMANS have come a step closer to finding aliens after the “building blocks for life” were discovered by scientists on an asteroid. NASA’s Osiris Rex spacecraft had grabbed parts of the ancient Bennu asteroid and uncovered a rich set of minerals and compounds which could show signs of life. ReutersThe ancient asteroid of Bennu could have helped scientists get one step closer to finding life outside of Earth[/caption] ReutersThe samples were coll…
Sci Tech Daily
UpstractNASA Uncovers Life’s Building Blocks in Asteroid Bennu’s Pristine Sample
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission delivered samples from asteroid Bennu, revealing crucial molecules linked to life, including amino acids and nucleobases found in DNA and RNA. The presence of ammonia and formaldehyde suggests conditions ripe for forming complex molecules in space. Scientists also discovered a suite of evaporite minerals, indicating Bennu once had water-rich environments that could [...]
Koco News5
NASA's returned asteroid samples hold ingredients of life from watery world
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.
The Bennu asteroid reveals clues to how the building blocks of life on Earth may have been seeded
In 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned from space with a sample of an asteroid named Bennu and scientists got to dive into a tale of rock, ice and water that hints at how life could have formed on Earth.
The first results of analysis of samples brought back to Earth in 2023 show that the asteroid contains a very varied range of salts and certain organic molecules, compounds essential to life.
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