DNA blocks on Ryugu, plastic-eating bacteria, and a crumbling comet: this week in science
Researchers analyzing asteroid Ryugu samples found the five DNA/RNA nucleobases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil) plus ammonia, suggesting primitive solar-system chemistry could seed life's ingredients on Earth; a German study shows a bacterial consortium can degrade several phthalate esters used in plastics via cross-feeding; and new Hubble images captured the breakup of Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) as it left the solar system, with Engadget recapping other notable science stories from the week.