Scientists find rich organic matter in asteroid Ryugu
Los Angeles, The Gulf Observer: Samples from the Ryugu asteroid that were brought back by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) probe Hayabusa 2 spacecraft contain various organic molecules, according to recent paper published in the journal Science.
A Japanese, U.S. and European team, led by Professor Hiroshi Naraoka of Kyushu University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, analyzed the Ryugu samples to identify 20 kinds of amino acids among about 20,000 kinds of organic molecules, including five kinds of amino acids that are the raw materials of proteins needed for life.
It is possible that such diverse organic matter was brought to the early Earth via asteroids like Ryugu, leading to the emergence of life, scientists said in the study published on February 24.
The Ryugu sample contains several “prebiotic organics,” including several types of amino acids that are used by living things to build proteins essential for regulating chemical reactions and forming structures like hair and muscles.
These molecules can also be created by various non-living processes, such as chemical reactions that can take place in asteroids.
The findings add more credibility to the theory that the basic ingredients needed to kickstart the development of life on Earth could have been delivered to the planet in its infancy from space.
