The US space agency (NASA) revealed that it found ammonia and precursors of ribonucleic acid (RNA) on the asteroid Bennu, which provides new clues for scientists about the formation of the solar system and the origins of life.
The sample, brought to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, contained ribose (a component of RNA) and glucose (a source of energy for living organisms), in a “rubber”-like substance never before seen in space rocks, mixed with a large amount of dust from exploded stars (some of them supernovae), according to discoveries published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The scientists explained that although these organic molecules, including amino acids and nucleobases, do not constitute evidence of life on their own, their presence on the asteroid demonstrates that their essential components are widely distributed throughout the solar system.
“The five components used to build DNA and RNA have already been found in Bennu samples brought to Earth. The new discovery of ribose (one of the sugars found) means that all the elements to form the RNA molecule are present in the asteroid,” said Yoshihiro Furukawa, the scientist who led the research.
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The researchers considered that the presence of ribose and the absence of deoxyribose (a key element in DNA), would support the ‘RNA world’ hypothesis, according to which the first forms of life would depend on RNA and not DNA as the main molecule to store information and drive the chemical reactions necessary for survival.
“These findings are strong evidence that the chemical ingredients crucial for life were widely available on asteroids throughout our solar system,” NASA said.
“Current life is based on a complex system of DNA, RNA and proteins. However, primitive life could have been simpler. RNA is the main candidate to be the first functional biopolymer, since it can store genetic information and catalyze numerous biological reactions,” Furukawa added.
In an article published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the presence of a rubbery material in the Bennu samples, never before seen in space rocks, was also revealed, something that could have helped prepare the ground on Earth for the emergence of life.
A third study identified large amounts of dust from supernovae, stars that exploded long before our solar system existed. The asteroid contains six times more of this material than any other sample, meaning Bennu formed in a region rich in remains of ancient stars.
With information from EFE
