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NASA’s Asteroid Discovery Could Rewrite the Story of Life’s Beginnings

Writer's picture: Jenni AdammsJenni Adamms

WCTU CLEVELAND 13 — NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has returned with groundbreaking findings from asteroid Bennu, located approximately 63 million kilometers from Earth. The mission successfully collected and delivered samples that have provided significant insights into the early solar system and the potential origins of life.

Upon analysis, scientists identified 14 of the 20 amino acids essential for protein formation in terrestrial life within the Bennu samples. Moreover, all five nucleobases that constitute DNA and RNA were present. These discoveries suggest that the chemical building blocks necessary for life could have been widespread in the early solar system.


The samples also revealed minerals such as calcite and halite, indicating the past presence of liquid water on Bennu's parent body. This environment would have been conducive to the formation of organic compounds. However, due to insufficient time and temperature conditions, life did not emerge on Bennu itself.


These findings support the theory that asteroids like Bennu may have delivered essential ingredients for life to Earth, increasing the possibility that life could have formed elsewhere in the universe. Further research is ongoing to explore these implications.

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