(ORDO NEWS) — Finally, NASA studied samples taken by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from the asteroid Ryugu as part of the Hayabusa-2 mission, and during this exercise, chemical compounds were identified that support the theory that space rocks could have contributed to the emergence of life on Earth.
A NASA press release said that samples taken from the asteroid Ryugu, which were brought to Earth in late 2020, are rich in organic compounds necessary for the origin of life.
While this is quite an impressive discovery, it is important to note that while Ryugu specimens contain the building blocks for life, their appearance does not necessarily involve direct involvement of life. Instead, they are likely the result of complex abiotic reactions.
“These molecules [organic compounds] can travel throughout the solar system, potentially dispersing as interplanetary dust particles after they were ejected from the surface of an asteroid as a result of collision with other bodies or for other reasons,” said Hiroshi Naraoka from the University of Japan Kyushu, an expert in organic space geochemistry and co-author of the study, which was published in the journal Science.
Ryugu is the source of life?
As noted in the study, the organic compounds found in the Ryugu samples could very well be as old as our solar system, or even older.
“Organic Ryugu compounds likely consist of primary materials that were formed during (or even earlier than) the early stages of the formation of the solar system,” the publication says.
Daniel Glavin, co-author of the study at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, noted that despite the presence of organic compounds, there are no real signs of life on Ryugu.
“Sugar and nitrogenous bases (components of DNA and RNA) that have been found in some carbonaceous meteorites have not yet been identified in samples from Ryugu,” commented Glavin.
“It is possible that these compounds are also present in the asteroid Ryugu, but they are beyond our analytical detection capabilities, given the relatively small mass of samples available for study.”
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