NASA’s asteroid discovery raises new questions about life’s origins
Pranjal Chandra | THE TIMES OF INDIA NEWS SERVICE | Jan 30, 2025, 15:55 IST
( Image credit : TIL Creatives )
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission uncovered organic compounds on asteroid Bennu, suggesting the fundamental ingredients for life existed in space prior to Earth's first cells. The pristine samples revealed amino acids and nucleobases, reinforcing the idea that asteroids could have seeded Earth with life's necessary components.
The latest findings from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission are reigniting debates about how life began, not just on Earth but potentially across the solar system. Scientists analyzing samples from the asteroid Bennu have found key organic molecules, suggesting that the fundamental ingredients for life were present in space long before Earth’s first cells emerged.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, launched in 2016, successfully retrieved dust and rock fragments from Bennu and returned them to Earth in 2023. The asteroid, estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, is believed to be a relic from the early days of the solar system. A groundbreaking analysis published in the journal Nature reveals that the samples contain thousands of organic compounds, including amino acids—essential for building proteins—and nucleobases, which form the foundation of DNA and RNA.
Unlike meteorites that have crashed through Earth’s atmosphere and risk contamination, these pristine samples offer an untouched glimpse into the chemistry of the early solar system. “The OSIRIS-REx mission is rewriting what we understand about the emergence of life,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
The presence of such rich organic material bolsters the long-standing hypothesis that asteroids may have seeded Earth with the necessary components for life. If these chemical ingredients existed on Bennu, they could have been widespread in the solar system, raising the possibility that life—or at least its building blocks—could have emerged elsewhere on planets and moons.
Unexpectedly, the samples contained high levels of ammonia, a crucial element in the formation of amino acids. “We found ammonia concentrations about 100 times higher than what’s typically found in Earth’s soils,” said NASA astrobiologist Danny Glavin. This discovery suggests that Bennu’s parent body might have hosted complex prebiotic chemistry before breaking apart.
In another unexpected twist, a second study published alongside the first revealed evidence of ancient briny water. Researchers found 11 different minerals left behind by evaporated water, resembling the crusts of dried lake beds on Earth. Sodium carbonate, also known as soda ash, was detected in the samples, a compound previously unseen in extraterrestrial material. Scientists speculate that similar briny environments could exist today on Saturn’s moon Enceladus and the dwarf planet Ceres, further expanding the search for habitable conditions in space.
These results reinforce the idea that the chemical pathways necessary for life were taking shape in multiple locations throughout the early solar system. “We now know that the raw ingredients of life were combining in really interesting and complex ways,” said Tim McCoy, a curator at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and co-author of the studies.
While the samples provide an unprecedented glimpse into the origins of organic material in space, they also pose new questions. Why did life emerge on Earth and not on Bennu? What unique conditions made our planet special? These are the puzzles that astrobiologists will continue to explore as they study the Bennu samples further.
This mission marks only the third time in history that asteroid material has been retrieved and studied, following Japan’s Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions. However, OSIRIS-REx’s haul is by far the most extensive, allowing researchers to delve deeper into the fundamental mysteries of life’s origins.
As scientists continue to unlock the secrets hidden within these space rocks, one thing is clear: the journey to understanding life’s cosmic beginnings is far from over. The Bennu samples may be just the beginning of a new chapter in astrobiology, one that could redefine what it means to be alone—or not—in the universe.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, launched in 2016, successfully retrieved dust and rock fragments from Bennu and returned them to Earth in 2023. The asteroid, estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, is believed to be a relic from the early days of the solar system. A groundbreaking analysis published in the journal Nature reveals that the samples contain thousands of organic compounds, including amino acids—essential for building proteins—and nucleobases, which form the foundation of DNA and RNA.
Unlike meteorites that have crashed through Earth’s atmosphere and risk contamination, these pristine samples offer an untouched glimpse into the chemistry of the early solar system. “The OSIRIS-REx mission is rewriting what we understand about the emergence of life,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
The presence of such rich organic material bolsters the long-standing hypothesis that asteroids may have seeded Earth with the necessary components for life. If these chemical ingredients existed on Bennu, they could have been widespread in the solar system, raising the possibility that life—or at least its building blocks—could have emerged elsewhere on planets and moons.
Unexpectedly, the samples contained high levels of ammonia, a crucial element in the formation of amino acids. “We found ammonia concentrations about 100 times higher than what’s typically found in Earth’s soils,” said NASA astrobiologist Danny Glavin. This discovery suggests that Bennu’s parent body might have hosted complex prebiotic chemistry before breaking apart.
In another unexpected twist, a second study published alongside the first revealed evidence of ancient briny water. Researchers found 11 different minerals left behind by evaporated water, resembling the crusts of dried lake beds on Earth. Sodium carbonate, also known as soda ash, was detected in the samples, a compound previously unseen in extraterrestrial material. Scientists speculate that similar briny environments could exist today on Saturn’s moon Enceladus and the dwarf planet Ceres, further expanding the search for habitable conditions in space.
These results reinforce the idea that the chemical pathways necessary for life were taking shape in multiple locations throughout the early solar system. “We now know that the raw ingredients of life were combining in really interesting and complex ways,” said Tim McCoy, a curator at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and co-author of the studies.
While the samples provide an unprecedented glimpse into the origins of organic material in space, they also pose new questions. Why did life emerge on Earth and not on Bennu? What unique conditions made our planet special? These are the puzzles that astrobiologists will continue to explore as they study the Bennu samples further.
This mission marks only the third time in history that asteroid material has been retrieved and studied, following Japan’s Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions. However, OSIRIS-REx’s haul is by far the most extensive, allowing researchers to delve deeper into the fundamental mysteries of life’s origins.
As scientists continue to unlock the secrets hidden within these space rocks, one thing is clear: the journey to understanding life’s cosmic beginnings is far from over. The Bennu samples may be just the beginning of a new chapter in astrobiology, one that could redefine what it means to be alone—or not—in the universe.