Latest news with #YasuhitoSekine
Gulf Today
31-01-2025
- Science
- Gulf Today
Asteroids may have planted life on Earth
Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported on Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start. 'That's the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life,' said the Smithsonian Institution's Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors. NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned 122 grammes (4 ounces) of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, delivering the sample canister to the Utah desert in 2023 before swooping off after another space rock. It remains the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon. The two previous asteroid sample missions, by Japan, yielded considerably less material, according to the Associated Press. Small amounts of Bennu's precious black grains – leftovers from the solar system's formation 4.5 billion years ago – were doled out to the two separate research teams whose studies appeared in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. But it was more than enough to tease out the sodium-rich minerals and confirm the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code. Some if not all of the delicate salts found at Bennu – similar to what's in the dry lakebeds of California's Mojave Desert and Africa's Sahara – would be stripped away if present in falling meteorites. 'This discovery was only possible by analysing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth,' the Institute of Science Tokyo's Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial. Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, 'that's really the pathway to life,' said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History's curator of meteorites. 'These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before.' NASA's Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia. While all of the organic molecules found in the Bennu samples have been identified before in meteorites, Glavin said the ones from Bennu are valid – 'real extraterrestrial organic material formed in space and not a result of contamination from Earth.' Bennu – a rubble pile just one-third of a mile (one-half of a kilometre) across – was originally part of a much larger asteroid that got clobbered by other space rocks. The latest results suggest this parent body had an extensive underground network of lakes or even oceans, and that the water evaporated away, leaving behind the salty clues, the AP report adds. Sixty labs around the world are analysing bits of Bennu as part of initial studies, said the University of Arizona's Dante Lauretta, the mission's chief scientist who took part in both studies. Most of the $1 billion mission's cache has been set aside for future analysis. Scientists stress more testing is needed to better understand the Bennu samples, as well as more asteroid and comet sample returns. China plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission this year. Many are pushing for a mission to collect rocks and dirt from the potentially waterlogged dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus also beckon as enticing water worlds. Meanwhile, NASA has core samples awaiting pickup at Mars, but their delivery is on hold while the space agency studies the quickest and cheapest way to get them here. 'Are we alone?' McCoy said. 'That's one of the questions we're trying to answer.'
MTV Lebanon
30-01-2025
- Science
- MTV Lebanon
Life's 'Basic Building Blocks' Found in Asteroid Samples
Scientists analysing pristine samples from the asteroid Bennu have discovered the "basic building blocks" for life, offering new insights into how life may have originated on Earth. Pristine samples of the asteroid Bennu transported to Earth contain the "basic building blocks" for life, shedding new light on the perennial question of how life began on our planet. The revelation, in two studies published Wednesday, is the result of work on just 120 grams of material -- about the weight of a banana -- collected from Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2020. The samples from Bennu, then around 300 million kilometres (186 million miles) from Earth, were returned in a capsule that OSIRIS-REx dropped off during a pass-by in 2023. Initial analysis had already revealed evidence of high-carbon content and water. But the new research found that evaporated water on Bennu's parent asteroid left behind "the raw ingredients of life", said Tim McCoy, curator of meteorites at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and co-lead author of one of the studies. "We have discovered that next step on a pathway to life," he said in a press release issued by the museum. Bennu appears to have formed around 65 million years ago from the debris of a parent asteroid dating back some 4.5 billion years. The findings suggest Bennu's parent was once home to pockets of liquid water. When these evaporated, they left behind a "briny broth" of salts and minerals. Some of the minerals include compounds that have never been seen in samples from outer space, the museum said. And analysis of the samples strongly suggests a "non-terrestrial origin", adds one of the studies. That could lend support to the theory that life on Earth was seeded from outer space. The samples "give unprecedented insight into the processes that drove the formation of the Solar System," according to Yasuhito Sekine, a professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo. "This discovery was only possible by analysing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth," he added. "The salts would otherwise have rapidly absorbed moisture in the Earth's humid atmosphere." The researchers believe similar salty brines may exist on other extraterrestrial bodies, including the dwarf planet Ceres and Saturn's moon Enceladus, as well as other asteroids. They plan to reexamine specimens already on Earth for traces of compounds that previous research might have missed. "Even though asteroid Bennu has no life, the question is could other icy bodies harbour life?" said Nick Timms, an associate professor at Curtin University's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences also involved in the research. Much about life's origin remains unclear despite the secrets revealed from Bennu, McCoy cautioned. "We now know we have the basic building blocks to move along this pathway towards life, but we don't know how far along that pathway this environment could allow things to progress," he said. Still, Sara Russell, co-lead author with McCoy and a cosmic mineralogist at the museum, said the research had made "huge progress in understanding how asteroids like Bennu evolved, and how they may have helped make the Earth habitable". OSIRIS-REx wasn't the first probe to rendezvous with an asteroid and bring back samples for study -- Japan succeeded in the feat twice, returning celestial dust in 2010 and 2020. In addition to scientific insights, better understanding of Bennu's composition could prove useful if humanity ever needs to steer it away. Space agencies are constantly monitoring asteroids over potential impact risks. A recently discovered asteroid dubbed 2024 YR4, estimated to be between 40 and 100 metres (130 and 330 feet) wide, has a 1.2 percent chance of impacting Earth on December 22, 2032, the European Space Agency said Wednesday. That is only considered a level-3 risk on the 10-level Torino Impact Hazard Scale, the ESA said, adding that an asteroid's chances of impact often drop after additional observations.
The Independent
29-01-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Are we all aliens? NASA's returned asteroid samples hold the ingredients of life from a watery world
Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start. "That's the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life,' said the Smithsonian Institution's Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors. NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned 122 grams (4 ounces) of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, delivering the sample canister to the Utah desert in 2023 before swooping off after another space rock. It remains the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon. The two previous asteroid sample missions, by Japan, yielded considerably less material. Small amounts of Bennu's precious black grains — leftovers from the solar system's formation 4.5 billion years ago — were doled out to the two separate research teams whose studies appeared in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. But it was more than enough to tease out the sodium-rich minerals and confirm the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code. Some if not all of the delicate salts found at Bennu — similar to what's in the dry lakebeds of California's Mojave Desert and Africa's Sahara — would be stripped away if present in falling meteorites. 'This discovery was only possible by analyzing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth," the Institute of Science Tokyo's Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial. Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, 'that's really the pathway to life,' said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History's curator of meteorites. 'These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before." NASA's Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia. While all of the organic molecules found in the Bennu samples have been identified before in meteorites, Glavin said the ones from Bennu are valid — 'real extraterrestrial organic material formed in space and not a result of contamination from Earth.' Bennu — a rubble pile just one-third of a mile (one-half of a kilometer) across — was originally part of a much larger asteroid that got clobbered by other space rocks. The latest results suggest this parent body had an extensive underground network of lakes or even oceans, and that the water evaporated away, leaving behind the salty clues. Sixty labs around the world are analyzing bits of Bennu as part of initial studies, said the University of Arizona's Dante Lauretta, the mission's chief scientist who took part in both studies. Most of the $1 billion mission's cache has been set aside for future analysis. Scientists stress more testing is needed to better understand the Bennu samples, as well as more asteroid and comet sample returns. China plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission this year. Many are pushing for a mission to collect rocks and dirt from the potentially waterlogged dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus also beckon as enticing water worlds. Meanwhile, NASA has core samples awaiting pickup at Mars, but their delivery is on hold while the space agency studies the quickest and cheapest way to get them here. 'Are we alone?" McCoy said. "That's one of the questions we're trying to answer.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Are we all aliens? NASA's returned asteroid samples hold the ingredients of life from a watery world
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start. "That's the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life,' said the Smithsonian Institution's Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors. NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned 122 grams (4 ounces) of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, delivering the sample canister to the Utah desert in 2023 before swooping off after another space rock. It remains the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon. The two previous asteroid sample missions, by Japan, yielded considerably less material. Small amounts of Bennu's precious black grains — leftovers from the solar system's formation 4.5 billion years ago — were doled out to the two separate research teams whose studies appeared in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. But it was more than enough to tease out the sodium-rich minerals and confirm the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code. Some if not all of the delicate salts found at Bennu — similar to what's in the dry lakebeds of California's Mojave Desert and Africa's Sahara — would be stripped away if present in falling meteorites. 'This discovery was only possible by analyzing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth," the Institute of Science Tokyo's Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial. Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, 'that's really the pathway to life,' said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History's curator of meteorites. 'These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before." NASA's Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia. While all of the organic molecules found in the Bennu samples have been identified before in meteorites, Glavin said the ones from Bennu are valid — 'real extraterrestrial organic material formed in space and not a result of contamination from Earth.' Bennu — a rubble pile just one-third of a mile (one-half of a kilometer) across — was originally part of a much larger asteroid that got clobbered by other space rocks. The latest results suggest this parent body had an extensive underground network of lakes or even oceans, and that the water evaporated away, leaving behind the salty clues. Sixty labs around the world are analyzing bits of Bennu as part of initial studies, said the University of Arizona's Dante Lauretta, the mission's chief scientist who took part in both studies. Most of the $1 billion mission's cache has been set aside for future analysis. Scientists stress more testing is needed to better understand the Bennu samples, as well as more asteroid and comet sample returns. China plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission this year. Many are pushing for a mission to collect rocks and dirt from the potentially waterlogged dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus also beckon as enticing water worlds. Meanwhile, NASA has core samples awaiting pickup at Mars, but their delivery is on hold while the space agency studies the quickest and cheapest way to get them here. 'Are we alone?" McCoy said. "That's one of the questions we're trying to answer.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press
Arab News
29-01-2025
- Science
- Arab News
Are we all aliens? NASA's returned asteroid samples hold the ingredients of life from a watery world
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start. 'That's the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life,' said the Smithsonian Institution's Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors. NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned 122 grams (4 ounces) of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, delivering the sample canister to the Utah desert in 2023 before swooping off after another space rock. It remains the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon. The two previous asteroid sample missions, by Japan, yielded considerably less material. Small amounts of Bennu's precious black grains — leftovers from the solar system's formation 4.5 billion years ago — were doled out to the two separate research teams whose studies appeared in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. But it was more than enough to tease out the sodium-rich minerals and confirm the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code. Some if not all of the delicate salts found at Bennu — similar to what's in the dry lakebeds of California's Mojave Desert and Africa's Sahara — would be stripped away if present in falling meteorites. 'This discovery was only possible by analyzing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth,' the Institute of Science Tokyo's Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial. Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, 'that's really the pathway to life,' said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History's curator of meteorites. 'These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before.' NASA's Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia. While all of the organic molecules found in the Bennu samples have been identified before in meteorites, Glavin said the ones from Bennu are valid — 'real extraterrestrial organic material formed in space and not a result of contamination from Earth.' Bennu — a rubble pile just one-third of a mile (one-half of a kilometer) across — was originally part of a much larger asteroid that got clobbered by other space rocks. The latest results suggest this parent body had an extensive underground network of lakes or even oceans, and that the water evaporated away, leaving behind the salty clues. Sixty labs around the world are analyzing bits of Bennu as part of initial studies, said the University of Arizona's Dante Lauretta, the mission's chief scientist who took part in both studies. Most of the $1 billion mission's cache has been set aside for future analysis. Scientists stress more testing is needed to better understand the Bennu samples, as well as more asteroid and comet sample returns. China plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission this year. Many are pushing for a mission to collect rocks and dirt from the potentially waterlogged dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus also beckon as enticing water worlds. Meanwhile, NASA has core samples awaiting pickup at Mars, but their delivery is on hold while the space agency studies the quickest and cheapest way to get them here. 'Are we alone?' McCoy said. 'That's one of the questions we're trying to answer.'
