The discovery of a key component of RNA in samples from asteroid Ryugu adds weight to the theory that basic organic molecules may have arrived on Earth from outer space.
Image of Ryugu taken by the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft in 2018.
JAXA/wikipedia
Scientists hope samples of asteroid Ryugu may reveal traces of the chemical ingredients that formed life on Earth.
Asteroid Ryugu photographed from a distance of about 12 miles (20 kilometers) looks just gray and bland, but a close-up provides more color.
JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, University of Aizu and AIST
It is a pretty spectacular achievement to not only rendezvous with an asteroid as it is whizzing around the Sun but also collect a sample. Here’s what the researchers learned.
Planetary scientists believe that Earth was formed by the conglomeration of meteorites and comets – which also brought water.
Festa/SHutterstock.com
The source of water on Earth, the Moon and planets in our solar system is hotly debated. Some in the planetary science community argued that it came from asteroids and comets. Now they have proof.