Murchison meteorite Archives

C1 clasts in Hillsborough: On the left is a back-scattered electron image with two C1 748 clasts circled. On the right, an X-ray map of the same area as (A), indicating Na enrichment in 749 of the C1 clasts relative to the bulk of Hillsborough. Credit: NASA/SETI

Pristine Meteorite Examination Adds To Our Knowledge Of Ancient Asteroids

by Keith CowingJuly 19, 2026July 19, 2026

[NASA] A meteorite recovered immediately upon its fall to Earth on July 16, 2024, is helping NASA scientists uncover new clues about ancient water, the chemical evolution of primitive asteroids, […]

Transient absorbance difference spectra of a sample of LS-MS grade H2O. The sample thickness is 100 µm and the pump wavelength is 212 nm. -- The Journal of Chemical Physics

Astrochemistry

Photodynamics Of Amino Acids Under UV Excitation: Extraterrestrial Amino Acids

by Keith CowingJuly 6, 2026July 6, 2026

[J. Chem. Phys.] The detection of amino acids in extraterrestrial environments has important implications for astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry, yet the pathways to their syntheses and their photostability under such […]

The Murchison meteorite fell in Australia in 1969, breaking into numerous fragments. It belongs to the carbonaceous chondrite group of meteorites. These meteorites are considered to be particularly pristine. © MPS / T. Klawunn

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors

Mars Mission: A Stress Test For The Search For Life

by Keith CowingJune 20, 2026June 20, 2026

Billions of years ago, environmental conditions on Mars were significantly more hospitable than they are today. Our neighbouring planet was likely warm, humid, and surrounded by a dense atmosphere.

This is an annotated close-up of three holes NASA’s Curiosity drilled into Martian rock at a location nicknamed “Mary Anning” in October 2020. The sample where the rover found a diverse number of organic molecules came from “Mary Anning 3.” (A nearby spot nicknamed “Mary Anning 2” went unused.) NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors

NASA’s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Mars

by Keith CowingApril 21, 2026April 21, 2026

After years of lab work, the results are in: A rock that NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover drilled and analyzed in 2020 includes the most diverse collection of organic molecules ever […]

Microscope images of Ryugu samples collected from the first and second landing sites of the Hayabusa2 mission, respectively. Credit: Jaxa/Jamstec

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release

All DNA/RNA Nucleobases Are Found On Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith CowingMarch 16, 2026June 11, 2026

Samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected and returned to Earth by the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission contain all five nitrogenous bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil—that make up nucleic acids, […]

Proposed formation pathways of biorelevant molecules (red arrows) in hydrogen cyanide (HCN)-containing interstellar ices and their role as precursors to biorelevant molecules such as amino acids and nucleobases. In prebiotic chemistry, hydrogen cyanide (1) plays a fundamental role in the synthesis of amino acids such as glycine (2) and nucleobases including adenine (3) (bold black arrows) and guanine (4) through nonequilibrium chemistry. Notably, 5, 11, 14–16, and 18 have been detected in the interstellar medium; 2–4 have been identified in carbonaceous asteroid Bennu and various chondrites like Murchison meteorite. -- Chemical Science

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report

Abiotic Formation Of Nitrile Precursors To Amino Acids And Nucleobases In Interstellar Ice Analogues

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2026June 10, 2026

Amino acids and the five canonical nucleobases have been identified in carbonaceous meteorites such as Murchison and Murray; however, their formation mechanisms under interstellar conditions have remained largely elusive.

Schematic of the GC-Orbitrap-IRMS instrumental setup: (A) GC–Orbitrap-IRMS mode, (B) the GC–SL–Orbitrap-IRMS mode, and (C) He–MS mode.-- Rapid Communications In Mass Spectrometry (via PubMed)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Stable Nitrogen Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids by Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry: Application for Extraterrestrial Samples

by Keith CowingAugust 28, 2025August 28, 2025

Background Obtaining isotopic data on soluble organic compounds, such as amino acids, in extraterrestrial samples is crucial for understanding their origins, prebiotic chemistry, and potential contamination. Conventional GC‐IRMS requires grams […]

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report

Astrochemistry: Abiotic Origin Of Citric Acid Cycle Intermediates

by Keith CowingJuly 8, 2025September 18, 2025

The molecular framework for protometabolism-chemical reactions in a prebiotic environment preceding modern metabolism-has remained unknown in evolutionary biology.

Photo of Nebula NGC 1333. The James Webb telescope detected interstellar ice there, which could be the origin of stars and planets. The study shows that this ice was apparently also behind the formation of organic molecules, including all intermediaries in the Krebs cycle. Credit © ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Scholz, K. Muzic, A. Langeveld, R. Jayawardhana Larger image

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Status Report

Abiotic Origin Of Citric Acid Cycle Intermediates

by Keith CowingApril 22, 2025

The molecular framework for protometabolism—chemical reactions in a prebiotic environment preceding modern metabolism—has remained unknown in evolutionary biology. Mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids that comprise contemporary metabolism, such as the […]

A mosaic image of asteroid Bennu, composed of 12 PolyCam images collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 24 kilometers. (NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

Life’s Building Blocks Discovered In Samples From Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2025September 18, 2025

Japanese collaborators detected all five nucleobases — building blocks of DNA and RNA — in samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.