Context:

Recently, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) collected samples from asteroid Bennu. 

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• Bennu samples contained the highest concentration of life-supporting extraterrestrial compounds ever brought to Earth. 
• Unlike meteorites, these samples remained unaltered, protected in a sealed canister, and shielded from heat generated due to entering the earth’s atmosphere.
• The samples were analyzed in a controlled inert gas, in a contamination-free lab.

Key findings of the exploration

Amino Acids: 14 of the 20 amino acids used by life on Earth were found in the Bennu samples. 

• Amino acids are essential for forming proteins, which are key to life.

Presence of Nucleobases: All 5 nucleobases (adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine, uracil), essential for DNA and RNA, were detected in Bennu samples. 

• Nucleobases store and transmit genetic information, vital for life.

Ammonia & Formaldehyde: High levels of ammonia, which reacts with formaldehyde to form amino acids, were found. 

• This supports the idea that basic molecules for life could form in space.

Amino Acid Chirality: Both left- and right-handed amino acids were found in equal amounts. 

• On Earth, life uses only left-handed amino acids, raising questions about why this preference exists.

Ancient Saltwater Evidence: Bennu's samples showed 11 minerals like calcite, halite, and sylvite, formed when salt water evaporates. 

• This indicates Bennu may have had water, a crucial ingredient for life.

Environment: Minerals such as trona (first time found in extraterrestrial samples) suggest Bennu had an environment that could support life-related chemistry.

Life on another planet: The discovery of life’s building blocks on Bennu suggests that similar conditions may exist on other planets or moons, increasing the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system.