Two organic compounds essential for living organisms have been found in samples retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu, buttressing the notion that some ingredients crucial for the advent of life arrived on Earth aboard rocks from space billions of years ago.
Scientists said on Tuesday they detected uracil and niacin in rocks obtained by the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft from two sites on Ryugu in 2019. Uracil is one of the chemical building blocks for RNA, a molecule carrying directions for building and operating living organisms. Niacin, also called Vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid, is vital for their metabolism.
Scientists previously detected key organic molecules in carbon-rich meteorites found on Earth. But there was the question of whether these space rocks had been contaminated by exposure to the Earth's environment after landing. Niacin is important in underpinning metabolism and can help produce the "energy" that powers living organisms.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Building block of life found in sample from asteroid RyuguThe discovery of the nucleobase uracil is a big step forward for astrobiology.
Lire la suite »
Component of RNA Found in Asteroid Ryugu SamplesSamples from the asteroid Ryugu collected by the Hayabusa2 mission contain nitrogenous organic compounds, including the nucleobase uracil, which is a part of RNA. Researchers have analyzed samples of asteroid Ryugu collected by the Japanese Space Agency’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft and found uracil—one
Lire la suite »
200-foot asteroid will pass Earth within the Moon's orbitAstronomers say that a newly discovered asteroid's March flyby will bring it closer to Earth than the Moon's orbit.
Lire la suite »
Earth at higher risk of big asteroid strike, satellite data suggestA provocative new study suggests Earth’s large impact craters are bigger than previously thought—meaning our planet is more at risk of getting hit hard by an asteroid.
Lire la suite »
Asteroid to fly between Earth and the Moon this week: reportA 200-foot asteroid discovered in February is expected to fly past Earth at about half the distance of the Moon on Saturday, posing no threat to the planet, this time.
Lire la suite »