More than 20 amino acids have been found on the surface of the asteroid Ryuga.
Scientists have for the first time been able to find “building blocks of life” on an asteroid that is in space. More than 20 amino acids have been found on the asteroid Ryuga, which is located 320 million kilometers from Earth, according to Science Alert.
The first discovery of its kind, scientists have made thanks to samples delivered to our the planet by Hayabusa-2, which “touched” the asteroid's surface in 2019. She then collected 5.4 grams of the celestial body's substance by placing it in a special container that was delivered to Earth.
Read also: Samples of the asteroid Ryugu contain the oldest material ever studied by scientists
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Ryugu is not a monolithic “cobblestone”, but rather consists of many small stones. It is likely that they formed from the same nebula as the Sun and the planets of our system. Previous research on Ryuga samples has shown that it may contain water.
Unlike organic molecules found on Earth, the carbon-black samples of the asteroid Ryugu, which reflect only 2-3% of the light reaching them, have not changed as a result of interaction with the environment of our planet. This makes them close to the early solar system.
“We found various prebiotic organic compounds in the samples, including proteinogenic amino acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons similar to petroleum, and various nitrogen compounds. These prebiotic organic molecules may be spreading throughout the solar system, possibly in the form of interplanetary dust rising from the surface of Ryugu as a result of impact or other causes, “said Hiroshi Naraoka, a planetary scientist at Kyushu University.
Samples of the asteroid have found 10 types of amino acids, but now this number has increased to 20. Amino acids are the fundamental building blocks of all proteins and a necessary condition for the origin and existence of life on our planet.
A study conducted in 2019 found organic molecules from space in a 3.3 billion-year-old rock from South Africa. This increases the likelihood that some, if not all, of the molecules needed for life to come were brought to Earth by comets and asteroids. The discoveries made in the study of Ryugu samples once again confirmed this hypothesis.
It is likely that organic molecules can be found on other planets, as well as their satellites. This may indicate that life may have originated in more places in the universe than previously thought.
Scientists continue to analyze samples of the asteroid Ryugu and in the future intend to present other data obtained from such studies. Ryugu orbits and returns to Earth . At that moment, it was at a distance of 20.11 kilometers from the surface of the asteroid. Fifteen minutes later, the mission team received a signal that the maneuver was successful.
On December 6, 2020, the station dropped a capsule with samples of the asteroid Ryuga to Earth. On December 15, specialists opened section A of the capsule and found soil in it, which is believed to have been collected during the first approach to Ryuga in February 2019.
Since the station has a supply of working substance for engines, and scientific equipment is working, scientists have decided to extend its research program. The main target of the station was a 30-meter near-Earth asteroid 1998 KY26. In July 2026, the station will fly close to an additional target – a 700-meter asteroid 2001 CC21.
