How were amino acids found on asteroid Bennu formed?

Amino acids on asteroid Bennu were formed in the cold, radioactive environment of the early solar system, likely through the bombardment of primordial ice by radiation.

What is the significance of the discovery on asteroid Bennu?

The discovery on Bennu is significant because it suggests that the building blocks of life can form in conditions other than warm, liquid water, potentially originating in space.

Did NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission find life on asteroid Bennu?

No, the OSIRIS-REx mission found amino acids, the building blocks of life, on asteroid Bennu, not life itself.

Home / Science / Cold Space Rocks Forged Life's Building Blocks

Cold Space Rocks Forged Life's Building Blocks

10 Feb

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Summary

Amino acids essential for life found on asteroid Bennu.
Life's building blocks formed in cold, radioactive space conditions.
Bennu discovery suggests life's ingredients may form beyond Earth.

Cold Space Rocks Forged Life's Building Blocks

Scientists analyzing samples from asteroid Bennu, recovered by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission in 2023, have solved the mystery of how life's building blocks formed. These crucial molecules, known as amino acids, were found to have originated not in warm, wet conditions as previously believed, but in the cold, radioactive environment of the early solar system.

This discovery indicates that the essential ingredients for life on Earth might have been delivered by space rocks like Bennu. The findings challenge the long-held theory that liquid water was a prerequisite for amino acid formation, suggesting a more diverse range of conditions can foster these vital chemicals.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University focused on glycine, the simplest amino acid. By examining isotopic differences in the atomic weights of molecules from Bennu and comparing them to those from the Murchison meteorite, they determined that Bennu's amino acids likely formed through a distinct process involving primordial ice bombarded by radiation.