NASA’s Discovery from Asteroid Bennu Reveals Key Ingredients for Life

NASA’s latest discovery from asteroid Bennu shows that the asteroid has important ingredients for life. The OSIRIS-REx mission brought back samples from Bennu in 2023, and they contain key molecules such as amino acids, nucleobases, and ammonia.

These findings, shared in Nature and Nature Astronomy, suggest that Bennu had the conditions needed for life. Its rocks and dust contain the right molecules, minerals, and evidence of saltwater that could support life.

Key Findings:

- Ammonia: The samples showed a surprising amount of ammonia, which is essential for life. This suggests Bennu formed in a colder part of the solar system, beyond Jupiter.

- Amino Acids: Fourteen of the 20 amino acids found on Earth were in the samples.

- Nucleobases: DNA and RNA components like adenine and thymine were found in the samples, showing Bennu had life-building blocks.

- Minerals: Scientists discovered 11 minerals that form when water with salt evaporates, some of which had never been found in space before.

These findings don’t show that life existed on Bennu, but they suggest asteroids like it might have brought the materials necessary for life to Earth billions of years ago. This opens the possibility that life could exist on other planets or moons.

NASA scientists are now studying why life didn’t form on Bennu, but the discovery suggests that asteroids like Bennu may have played a role in the origins of life on Earth.