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, […]
Orgueil meteorite
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Sample Return
Abiotic Sugar Enantiomers In The CI Carbonaceous Chondrite Orgueil
The uneven detection of prebiotic organic compounds in meteorites—where amino acids and nucleobases are commonly identified but sugars remain rare and poorly characterized—limits our understanding of extraterrestrial organic chemistry.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Life’s Building Blocks Discovered In Samples From Asteroid Bennu
Japanese collaborators detected all five nucleobases — building blocks of DNA and RNA — in samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
![The crystal structure of nickeloan boussingaultite from Orgueil. Isolated octahedra [(Mg,Ni)(H2O)6] 2+ (turquoise), sulfate tetrahedra, (SO4) 2- (yellow) and ammonium tetrahedra, NH4 + (small blue) cross-linked by a network of hydrogen bonds (dashed lines). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Meteoritic-Tutton-Salt.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Meteoritic Tutton Salt, A Naturally Inspired Reservoir Of Cometary And Asteroidal Ammonium
The lack of benchmark data on the real minerals, native ammonium carriers in Solar System gives rise to controversial opinions on extraterrestrial ammonium reservoirs.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Press Release
New Analysis of Meteorite Shows Key Ingredients for Life on Earth May Have Been Delivered by Comets
An object that fell to Earth more than 136 years ago has revealed new clues about the origin of meteorites in space and new information about how life may have […]