Bennu Samples Reveal Life’s Chemical Kit in 4.29 Ounces Returned by NASA

3 articles · Updated · Worldatlas.com · Jul 14

Scientists analyzing Bennu dust found amino acids, nucleobases, ribose and glucose—key ingredients for proteins, DNA and RNA—in material returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
The cleaner, directly collected sample strengthens evidence that these compounds formed in space before Earth existed and may have been delivered to the young planet by asteroids.
Researchers also identified sodium-rich minerals linked to evaporating water, stardust older than the Sun and a previously unseen nitrogen- and oxygen-rich “space gum.”
OSIRIS-REx brought back 4.29 ounces in 2023 after sampling Bennu in 2020, giving scientists the largest extraterrestrial sample returned from beyond the Moon and years of material still to study.
The findings bolster the RNA world hypothesis and suggest similar carbon-rich asteroids could have seeded other worlds with life’s raw materials.

Sources

Worldatlas.com3d ago

Bennu Asteroid Samples Reveal Life's Chemical Starter Kit, Including Amino Acids and Nucleobases

spacedaily.com4d ago

Scientists examining samples returned from asteroid Bennu found ribose and glucose inside — and with phosphate and

Instagram4d ago

BIG FINDINGS on the asteroid Bennu! #space #astronomy #nasa

With all RNA parts found on an asteroid, what is the true missing link between space dust and the first life?

Ribose is a key to life but incredibly fragile. How did asteroids manage to preserve it for billions of years?

If life's ingredients are common in space, is a planet's unique geology the real bottleneck for sparking life?

OSIRIS-REx Bennu Samples Unveil Bio-Essential Sugars, Ancient Presolar Grains, and Novel Organic Polymers Shaping Early Solar System Chemistry

Overview

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned pristine samples from asteroid Bennu, opening a unique window into the early solar system. These uncontaminated samples led to groundbreaking discoveries, including the detection of bio-essential sugars like ribose and glucose by a team of Japanese and US scientists. The presence of these fundamental molecular ingredients highlights how asteroids could have delivered the building blocks of life to early Earth. By studying Bennu's material, scientists are gaining crucial insights into both the origins of life and the distribution of raw materials across the young solar system.

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