Scientists studied asteroid samples believed to be key ingredients for life brought to Earth from outer space. The asteroid in question is Ryugu, which was found to be orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars and is believed to contain many of the building blocks for life.
The recent study, published on February 23 in the journal Science, is one of the first looks at asteroid samples from this particular cosmic object.
Key Ingredients for Life
The samples were brought back by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft in 2020, which was only the second time that a spacecraft successfully brought back a portion of an asteroid. The first Hayabusa mission, conducted in 2010, brought back dust from the Itokawa asteroid.
However, that particular incident only had micrograms of samples that resulted from a failure of the spacecraft's collection system. In comparison, Hayabusa2 could gather and return more than five grams to our planet for scientists to analyze and study, as per Live Science.
After scientists analyzed a small portion of the Ryugu sample, they discovered that the carbon-rich asteroid also had molecules that are vital ingredients for all known life. This includes 15 amino acids, known to be the building blocks of proteins.
While the molecules are not alive, they are found in all life, causing scientists to call them "prebiotic." Based on previous studies of meteorites found on our planet, researchers know that space rocks can sometimes contain prebiotic molecules. However, those that have fallen through the atmosphere could also harbor these compounds because of contamination.
Furthermore, it needed to be clarified whether or not the molecules on these asteroids could survive on the cosmic object's surface or only deep inside its body. Hiroshi Naraoka of Kyushu University, Japan, said that Ryugu's uppermost surface grains could protect organic molecules.
Building Blocks of Life
The study's findings suggest that asteroids across the solar system are potentially spreading the building blocks of life. Scientists also theorize that the organic materials they found on Ryugu could predate even the solar system's formation, according to Phys.org.
The team made their conclusions partly after analyzing the ratio of various oxygen isotopes inside the Ryugu samples. These are forms of oxygen atoms with different masses due to the differing number of neutrons in their nuclei.
This, together with the researchers' analysis of the grains' sizes and mineral composition, led them to suggest the samples' ancient origin and that they were likely transported outwards to the far regions of our solar system, where they eventually came together to form the asteroid.
The asteroid Ryugu is a primitive carbonaceous cosmic object considered a rocky remnant following the solar system's formation roughly 4 billion years ago. Naraoka noted that the molecules found on the asteroid could have been transported throughout our solar system, dispersing as interplanetary dust particles after being ejected from the asteroid's uppermost layer due to a variety of factors, including impacts, said Gizmodo.
Related Article : Can Solar Panels in Space Fight the Climate Crisis?
