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In research released on the 29th, NASA disclosed that the asteroid Bennu, the focus of study for years, has essential components for the beginning of life, highlighting the theory that the components for our existence arrived via asteroids. Understand the results. 363e2z
The OSIRIS-REx mission 2m68p
A NASA It is known that every six years, the asteroid Bennu approaches Earth, ing about 300 kilometers away. Focused on knowing what chemical components are present in the celestial body measuring 500 meters in diameter, a mission was sent in 2016 to collect part of the matter.
At a cost of US$1,2 billion, the NASA used the ship Osiris Rex, which has a robotic arm, to capture about 120 grams of black dust. Once this was accomplished, the spacecraft was packed into a capsule and returned to Earth in 2023. The parts were shared with universities around the world.
120 grams may seem like a small amount to those who don't understand astronomy, but scientists who received small parts confirm that this is a real treasure. This is because the results of the research help to understand the origin of life and how these asteroids were important for the formation of life.
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This mission showed that the asteroid Bennu contains amino acids and chemical compounds present in human DNA. This shows, firstly, that the solar system had essential materials for life 4,5 billion years ago and, possibly, the building blocks of life were common and may have collided with several planets in our galaxy.
After analyzing the surface for about 6 months, scientists discovered that Bennu has 16 types of organic molecules in its composition. This includes 14 of the 20 essential amino acids for the formation of proteins in terrestrial life. In addition, the four nitrogenous bases that make up DNA were identified: adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine.
This discovery shows that the asteroid is part of a much larger object that split apart over the years. NASA knows that it would have formed in the area called the periphery of the Solar System, beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
Another relevant piece of information that was possible to discover with just small grains of dust is that the asteroid has many salts and minerals. This confirms the theory that the asteroid once had water, serving as a favorable environment for life. Ammonia, an important component for biochemical reactions, was also discovered in the sample.
In June 2023, NASA discovered that the asteroid Bennu may have been part of an ocean planet, and because it contained radioactive elements, its ambient temperature caused the ice to melt and that the asteroid remained unchanged for millions of years until its radioactive heat dissipated. During this time, the ammonia acted as an antifreeze agent, allowing the brine to remain liquid.
The discovery is very exciting because it indicates that asteroids like Bennu once acted as huge chemical factories in space and may have been responsible for the basic elements essential for life on Earth and other planets in our Solar System.
Daniel P. Glavin, NASA scientist and lead author of the study.
Asteroid as an environment conducive to life 5l5g4i
These findings suggest that Bennu had conditions that could have been conducive to the formation of complex organic molecules. However, there is no evidence that life developed on the asteroid.
These findings reinforce the hypothesis that asteroids like Bennu may have contributed to the spread of the fundamental building blocks of life in the Solar System, possibly playing a role in the origin of life on Earth.
Another relevant factor was the detection of hydrated clays containing hydroxyls, which indicate prolonged interactions with water in the asteroid's past. The presence of ammonia and nitrogen compounds suggests that, at some point, Bennu may have had environments rich in prebiotic compounds, favoring chemical reactions that could have led to the formation of more complex molecules.
These findings align with theories about the origin of life on Earth, which suggest that meteorites and asteroids may have brought essential materials, such as amino acids and sugars, that may have contributed to the emergence of the first life forms on the planet. The OSIRIS-REx mission continues to analyze Bennu’s fragments to deepen our understanding of these processes and their importance in astrobiology.
The mission OSIRIS-REx completed the phase of collecting and delivering samples from the asteroid Bennu, but remains active in a new phase. After returning to Earth and releasing the capsule with the samples in September 2023, the probe continued its journey and was renamed OSIRIS-APEX. Now, she goes on to study the asteroid Apophis, scheduled to arrive on 2029.
and tell us Comment: How do you think life arose on our planet?
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With information: NASA l Nature Magazine
Text proofread by: Daniel Coutinho in 30 / 01 / 2025
