All 5 units of life's genetic code were just discovered in an asteroid sample
4 hours ago
- #origin of life
- #nucleobases
- #asteroid Ryugu
- All five fundamental nucleobases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil) were detected in pristine samples from asteroid Ryugu.
- The samples were collected by JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission in 2020, avoiding Earth contamination, offering a clear view of early Solar System chemistry.
- Nucleobases are key components of genetic material; their presence suggests life's molecular ingredients may have formed in space billions of years ago.
- Similar findings in other asteroids (e.g., Bennu) and meteorites (Murchison, Orgueil) indicate these ingredients were widespread in the early Solar System.
- Chemical differences among asteroids, influenced by factors like ammonia, affect the balance between purines and pyrimidines.
- The results support the idea that asteroids delivered prebiotic chemistry to Earth, linking life's origin to cosmic chemical processes.