Ryugu asteroid yields DNA and RNA building blocks, study finds
TL;DR
Two samples from asteroid Ryugu returned by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 contain the five nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil—the building blocks of DNA and RNA. The find suggests these compounds can form in space without life and may have been distributed across the early solar system, with Ryugu showing different base concentrations than Bennu and meteorites, hinting at diverse formation histories and a wide cosmic availability of life's chemical ingredients.
- Ryugu asteroid sample contains all five key components of DNA, scientists find Space
- A complete set of canonical nucleobases in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu Nature
- Asteroids and meteorites may have delivered the building blocks for life on Earth Courthouse News Service
- Asteroid Reveals The 5 Key Genetic Ingredients For Life on Earth ScienceAlert
- Ryugu asteroid samples contain all DNA and RNA building blocks, bolstering origin-of-life theories Phys.org
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