Asteroid Samples Suggest , Origin of Life on Earth , May Have Come Via Impact.
Scientists have now confirmed that samples taken from the asteroid Ryugu contain organic molecules.
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Gizmodo reports that the revelation adds credence to the theory that the origin of life on Earth could have been delivered via meteorite and asteroid impacts.
Ryugu is a rocky remnant leftover from the formation of our solar system over 4 billion years ago.
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The primitive carbonaceous asteroid was visited by Japan's Hayabusa2 mission, which gathered samples from the surface back in 2019.
The mission has provided scientists with a fascinating window looking into what the solar system was like in its infancy.
Among other compounds, scientists found 15 different amino acids, amines and aromatic hydrocarbons in the samples.
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The presence of prebiotic molecules on the asteroid surface despite its harsh environment caused by solar heating and ultraviolet irradiation, as well as cosmic-ray irradiation under high-vacuum conditions, suggests that the uppermost surface grains of Ryugu have the potential to protect organic molecules, Hiroshi Naraoka, Planetary scientist at Kyushu University in Japan and the paper’s lead author, via 'Gizmodo'.
The presence of prebiotic molecules on the asteroid surface despite its harsh environment caused by solar heating and ultraviolet irradiation, as well as cosmic-ray irradiation under high-vacuum conditions, suggests that the uppermost surface grains of Ryugu have the potential to protect organic molecules, Hiroshi Naraoka, Planetary scientist at Kyushu University in Japan and the paper’s lead author, via 'Gizmodo'.
These molecules can be transported throughout the solar system, potentially dispersing as interplanetary dust particles after being ejected from the uppermost layer of the asteroid by impacts or other causes, Hiroshi Naraoka, Planetary scientist at Kyushu University in Japan and the paper’s lead author, via 'Gizmodo'.
The team's findings were published in 'Science.'.
Gizmodo reports that NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is currently returning from an asteroid known as Bennu, where it completed similar sampling operations
