RNA base found in asteroid Ryugu strengthens theory of 'alien' origins of life on Earth
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Several international research teams have been working on the particles and many interesting revelations have also been made, including that some of life's building blocks, amino acids, may have been formed in space.
A new research on the asteroid Ryugu has revealed building blocks of life in the charcoal-like particles on it. Scientists have found that materials on it contain the chemical compound uracil, one of the building blocks of RNA. The compound was found in just 10 milligrammes of material from Ryugu. The latest report makes the theory of life on Earth coming from outer space more credible. Scientists believe that life reached Earth when asteroids crashed into Earth.
The Hayabusa-2 probe has been analysing approximately 5.4 grams of rocks and dust gathered from the asteroid Ryugu. The mission was launched in 2014 and returned to Earth's orbit in late 2020 with a capsule containing the sample from the asteroid that is some 300 million kilometres away.
Several international research teams have been working on the particles and many interesting revelations have also been made, including that some of life's building blocks, amino acids, may have been formed in space. The first drop of water discovered in a near-Earth asteroid was also found in the samples.
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Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 6:46 am