Scientists analysing samples returned from the asteroid Bennu have identified sugars, a nitrogen-rich ancient material and large quantities of primordial dust, discoveries that could shed new light on the early solar system and the origins of life.
The material was collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which returned to Earth in September 2023 after visiting Bennu. Researchers have since been examining the samples to test the long-standing theory that asteroids delivered key chemical ingredients to Earth billions of years ago.
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One research team reported finding sugars, including ribose and glucose, marking the first time glucose has been identified in material from beyond Earth. Ribose is a critical component of RNA, while deoxyribose, used in DNA, was notably absent. Scientists say this supports the so-called RNA world hypothesis, which proposes that life initially relied on RNA before DNA evolved.
A separate group identified a previously unknown, gum-like substance that is rich in nitrogen and oxygen. Based on its composition, researchers believe the material formed very early in the solar system’s history. Astrophysicist Scott Sandford described this period as the “Beginning of the beginning,” highlighting the ancient nature of the find.
In addition, scientists found unusually large amounts of presolar dust—grains formed from stars that died before the solar system existed. The abundance of this material suggests Bennu’s parent body formed in a region dense with stellar debris and that parts of the asteroid avoided later alteration by heat or water. The sugar study was published in Nature Geoscience, while the other findings appeared in Nature Astronomy.
Source: Nasa