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Scientists make unusual discovery, may shed light on the creation of life
Written by SOT.COM.AL 22 Mars 2023
Organic molecules have been detected in samples collected by the Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft from the asteroid Ryugu.
When the researchers analyzed samples collected from two different sites of the asteroid, they found uracil, one of the building blocks of RNA, as well as vitamin B3 (niacin) which is a key factor for metabolism in living organisms.
Uracil is one of the nitrogenous bases of nucleotides in DNA and RNA, proteins and molecules that contain genetic information and instructions for the cells of living organisms. A study detailing the findings was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
Ryugu is a diamond-shaped, carbon-rich asteroid. It is about one kilometer wide. This was the first mission for Hayabusa2, which ended successfully after sending a sample from the asteroid's subsurface back to Earth.
"Shooting" of asteroids
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's mission collected a sample from the asteroid's surface in February 2019 and then fired a copper "bullet" into the asteroid to create a 10-meter-wide crater. A sample from the crater was collected in July 2019 and then Hayabusa2 returned, bringing the sample to Australia in December 2020.
In previous analyses, researchers had identified amino acids and other molecules in Ryugu samples, while uracil and niacin have also been found in meteorites that have fallen to Earth.
"Scientists had found nucleobases and vitamins in carbon-rich meteorites, but there was always the issue of contamination from exposure to the terrestrial environment," explained lead study author Yasuhiro Oba, an associate professor at Hokkaido University in Japan. "Since the Hayabusa2 spacecraft collected two samples directly from asteroid Ryugu and sent them to Earth in sealed capsules, the contamination scenario can be ruled out."
Building blocks of life in space
The researchers discovered the molecules when they immersed the particles collected by Ryugu in hot water and analyzed the results using various observational methods, such as water chromatography and spectrometry. The team discovered characteristic traces of uracil, niacin and other nitrogen-containing organic compounds.
“Në kampion u gjetën edhe molekula të tjera biologjike, si një sërë aminoacidesh, amine dhe acide karboksilike, të cilat gjenden përkatësisht në proteina dhe në procesin e metabolizmit”, thotë Oba.
“Gurët e themelit” në meteoritë
Gjetjet e deritanishme nga mostrat e Ryugu përforcojnë dëshminë se blloqet ndërtuese të jetës erdhën nga hapësira dhe u sollën në Tokë miliarda vjet më parë, në meteorite. Molekulat ndoshta janë formuar përmes reaksioneve fotokimike në akull në Hapësirë ??përpara se të formohej sistemi ynë diellor.
Përqendrimet e molekulave në të dy mostrat ishin të ndryshme, por kjo ka të ngjarë për shkak të ekspozimit ndaj mjedisit të ashpër të hapësirës. Është e mundur që Ryugu dikur të ishte pjesë e një trupi qiellor më të madh, siç është një kometë, përpara se të ndahej në copa nga përplasjet me trupa të tjerë qiellorë. Është gjithashtu e mundur që ndërsa shkëmbinjtë hapësinorë u përplasën me planetë të tjerë në sistemin tonë diellor, ata mbanin disa nga blloqet e ndërtimit të jetës.
“Nuk mund të them se prania e substancave të tilla nënkupton drejtpërdrejt shfaqjen ose praninë e jetës jashtëtokësore, por të paktën përbërësit e tyre, si aminoacidet dhe nukleobzat, mund të gjenden kudo në Hapësirë”, komentoi Oba.
Now, researchers want to know how widespread these molecules are in asteroids. A sample from another asteroid, Bennu, will be sent to Earth in September by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.
"The discovery of uracil in samples from Ryugu reinforces current theories about the source of nucleobs on the early Earth," Oba said. "NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission will return samples from asteroid Bennu this year, and a comparative study of the composition of these asteroids will provide further data to develop these theories."