deoxyribose Archives

A team of Japanese and US scientists have discovered the bio-essential sugars ribose and glucose in samples of asteroid Bennu that were collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. This finding builds on the earlier discovery of nucleobases (the genetic components of DNA and RNA), phosphate, and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) in the Bennu samples, showing that the molecular ingredients of life could have been delivered to early Earth by meteorites. Download this graphic from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio website: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14932 NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Dan Gallagher

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

Sugars And Stardust Found In NASA’s Asteroid Bennu Samples

by Keith CowingDecember 2, 2025December 2, 2025

The asteroid Bennu continues to provide new clues to scientists’ biggest questions about the formation of the early solar system and the origins of life.

Hexose sugar permeability through archaeal and hybrid membranes. Temporal dependence of average carboxyfluorescein (CF) fluorescence in the archaea-like G1PC phospholipid membrane (G1PC, filled symbols) and in the ‘hybrid’ phospholipid membrane (G3PC, open symbols) during the exposure to 1 mM of variant substrates delivered to the microfluidic coves. Mean (symbols) and standard deviation (error bars) were calculated from at least 10 single-vesicle measurements across three independent experiments. Data are processed and illustrated as described in Figure 1 legend. N is the number of single vesicles investigated for each substrate exposure and each type of vesicles. **: p-value < 0.01. Numerical values of CF fluorescence in individual vesicles for each lipid type during the delivery of each substrate are provided in S1 File and S2 File. -- biorxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Membrane Permeability Selection Drove the Stereochemistry of Life

by Keith CowingMay 9, 2024September 18, 2025

Early in the evolution of life a proto-metabolic network was encapsulated within a membrane compartment. The permeability characteristics of the membrane determined several key functions of this network by determining […]