Scientists just found the seeds of life on an asteroid, and they believe it could have helped bring the building blocks of life to Earth.
Asteroid samples returned by JAXA’s Hayabusa2. Image source: JAXA
Back in 2018, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission collected rocky particles from the surface of the asteroid Ryuga. Later, in 2019, the spacecraft returned to the asteroid and collected particles from beneath the asteroid’s surface by creating a small crater. Within these samples, the scientists say they discovered key amino acids. These amino acids are part of what make up the seeds of life found throughout our universe.
What’s more intriguing is that Ryugu appears to contain more of these seeds than any other asteroid we’ve discovered like it. We discovered these other asteroids after they landed on Earth, which is what helped scientists make the connections between the two. Scientists classify these asteroids as CI chondrite asteroids.
The scientists believe that the seeds of life found on Ryugu are more primitive because they haven’t interacted with the Earth’s environment. As such, they are more like the materials that made up the early solar system. This discovery has led many to believe that asteroids like Ryugu could have played a big part in getting the seeds of life onto the planet. This isn’t the first time that scientists have leaned towards this kind of conclusion, either.
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