Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.
NASA revealed Wednesday that newly returned samples from a 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid contain traces of carbon and water — molecules that are thought to make up the building blocks of life. The findings could help scientists understand how the solar system formed and how life started on Earth. In a much-anticipated public event, the agency provided the first glimpse of the rocky samples, detailing how early studies have already yielded exciting results.
More research is needed to understand the samples from Bennu, but the preliminary results are promising because the space rock's water and carbon content may explain how water was originally delivered to Earth. As such, the asteroid may have played a key role in how life emerged on our planet, said Dante Lauretta, leader of the OSIRIS-REx mission and a professor of planetary sciences at the University of Arizona.
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.
Earth's Smallest Flowering Plant Can Handle 20X Earth's GravitySpace and astronomy news
Lire la suite »
NASA to unveil first newly returned near-Earth asteroid sampleNASA was set on Wednesday to provide a first peek for the public at what scientists found inside a tightly sealed canister that was returned to Earth last month carrying the largest soil sample ever scooped up from the surface of an asteroid.
Lire la suite »
NASA to unveil asteroid sample brought back to Earth from deep space | Stream at 10 a.m.Without the right protection, you could cause serious damage to your eyes by trying to look at the eclipse.
Lire la suite »
Evolution Space to Produce and Test Solid Rocket Motors at NASA Stennis - NASANASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, joined with Evolution Space on Oct. 10 to announce plans for the aerospace company to establish
Lire la suite »
NASA’s Webb Captures an Ethereal View of NGC 346 - NASADownload the full-resolution version from the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Lire la suite »
NASA’s Roman Mission Gears Up for a Torrent of Future Data - NASANASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team is exploring ways to support community efforts that will prepare for the deluge of data the mission will return.
Lire la suite »