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NASA Discovers 'Space Gum' and Sugars 'Crucial to Life' in Asteroid Bennu Samples Brought to Earth
Sugars including ribose and glucose were found in Bennu samples, confirming early solar system chemical precursors common before life began, NASA scientists said.
- On Dec. 2, NASA announced researchers detected the sugars ribose and glucose in asteroid Bennu samples returned by OSIRIS-REx in 2023, powdering about 600 milligrams of sealed grains.
- Analysis shows the sugars likely formed inside Bennu's long-lost parent asteroid over 4.5 billion years ago when salty water reacted with simple organics, and absence of 2-deoxyribose supports the RNA world hypothesis, Furukawa said.
- Gainsforth, a NASA researcher, said, `It was like nothing we had ever seen`, describing the discovery of a polymer-like 'space gum' rich in nitrogen and oxygen in Bennu samples.
- Researchers stressed that the sugars are not evidence of life but suggest basic chemical ingredients for biology were common throughout the early solar system, and scientists note Mars or Jupiter's icy moon Europa may also have been seeded with similar raw ingredients.
- Nguyen's team found Bennu contains six times more supernova dust, and Glavin said, `I wouldn't be surprised if we found them there as well.
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NASA’s Bennu asteroid holds secrets of life: Discovery of sugars, mysterious space gum, and ancient supernova star dust
Science News: Bennu asteroid samples returned by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission reveal life's building blocks, including sugars like ribose and glucose. Scientists also
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Total News Sources30
Leaning Left4Leaning Right3Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Left
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L 40%
C 30%
R 30%
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