In 2023, a sample of asteroid benu on Earth by NASA’s Osiris-Rex Mission revealed a collection of molecules and minerals that play a fundamental role in biological processes. Organic compounds such as amino acids, nucleobes, and ammonia have been identified with minerals formed in saltwater. Conclusions suggest that the conditions required for life may be present in different areas of the early solar system, increasing the possibility that life may develop beyond the earth.
Major conclusions from studies
As Study Published in Nature and Nature Astronomy, 14 of 20 amino acids required for protein formation and all five nucleobes found in DNA and RNA were found in Bennu samples. The presence of ammonia and formaldehyde was also noted, both are important in the formation of complex organic molecules. These compounds, known in the first meteorites, were found in an uncontrolled sample collected directly from the space, strengthening the idea that the asteroid material could contribute to the emergence of the building blocks of life.
As Informed By NASA, Danny Glavin, a senior sample scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and co-Leid writer of Nature Astronomy Paper, said that the ancient nature of Benu samples allowed researchers to find out the compounds that were easily changed Or destroyed on the exposure. For the Earth’s environment.
Water and ancient chemistry marks
Mineral analysis of the sample revealed the presence of evaporation minerals such as calcite, halite, and silvite -indication of water activity until time. A study under the leadership of Tim McCoy of Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and Sarah Russell of Natural History Museum in London suggests that these minerals were evaporated as saltwater water over time. Similar brines have been seen on astronomical bodies such as Ceres and Saturn’s Moon Enseldus.
McCoy stated that when found in evaporation meteorites, this is the first when an full mineral set has been identified in supernatural materials to preserve an extended evaporation process. The discovery of the trarona, a mineral was never seen in samples before the space, adds more importance to the conclusions.
Unanswered questions and future research
One of the major questions is that amino acids on Earth mainly display the molecular orientation of a left hand, while Benu samples have a similar mixture of forms of the left and right hand. Jason Dwarkin, a project scientist and co-Leid writer of Osiris-Rex’s project scientist and Nature Astronomy Paper, said that the data contributes to the widespread understanding of the solar system’s chemistry, but it opens the question as to why life is seen only on earth. away.
The Osiris-Rex Mission managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center was a collaborative effort including many institutions including International Partners such as Lockheed Martin Space, and Canadian Space Agency and Japan’s Jacks. The sample is studied at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where further research is expected to provide additional insights into the origin of essential components of life.
