Essential elements for life found on an asteroid

According to a Japanese scientific study released on Friday, June 10, amino acids, the basic constituents of life on Earth, were discovered in 2019 by samples of objects taken from asteroids by Japanese space exploration.

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These amino acids and other organic substances are asteroid Ryugu “Can give clues as to the origin of life on earth“, Refers to this study by researchers led by the University of Okayama (western Japan).”The discovery of amino acids capable of forming proteins is significant because, unlike the Ryugu meteorite, it has not been exposed to the Earth’s biosphere.“, According to this study.

Therefore, “Their discovery proves that at least some of these basic bricks on Earth may have formed in space.“, Adds the same source.

900 meters in diameter

Researchers have discovered 23 different types of amino acids in 5.4 grams of black rock and dust samples collected in Ryukyu by a Japanese study Hayabusa-2, whose capsule returned to Earth by the end of 2020 with its precious cargo. Annual work. Discovered in 1999, the asteroid Ryugu (“Dragon PalaceJapanese) is located 300 million kilometers from our planet and is less than 900 meters in diameter.

Scientists believe that some objects on the asteroid did not warm above 100 degrees Celsius about five million years after the birth of our solar system.

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According to another study published Thursday in the American journal Science, material taken from Ryugu “A chemical compound that closely resembles the Sun’s haloThan meteorites. Ryugu Models “Give reason to believe that amino acids were brought to Earth from spaceKenzi Kobayashi, an astronomer and professor at Yokohama National University, who was interviewed by AFP, confirms that another theory is that amino acids were formed by lightning in the Earth’s early atmosphere.