SCYNAPSIS
#space
#space
#space
Image credit by Akihiro Ikeshita, JAXA
Image credit by Akihiro Ikeshita, JAXA
Image credit by Akihiro Ikeshita, JAXA
Pablo Ávalos Prado
Pablo Ávalos Prado
Pablo Ávalos Prado
Neuroscientist & Medical Writer
Neuroscientist & Medical Writer
Neuroscientist & Medical Writer
March 24, 2023
March 24, 2023
March 24, 2023
We are made of star-stuff: Detection of uracil in asteroids
We are made of star-stuff: Detection of uracil in asteroids
We are made of star-stuff: Detection of uracil in asteroids
A recent analysis of the samples collected by the spacecraft Hayabusa2 from the asteroid Ryugu has detected the presence of uracil, a component of the RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecule. This discovery suggests that the molecules that could have generated the first life forms were initially formed in asteroids in space that were delivered to early Earth 4 billion years ago.
In 2020 the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 collected 5.4 grams of rock and dust from the “near-Earth” asteroid Ryugu 300 million km away from us. This operation allowed to gather pure samples that, unlike the meteorite fragments collected on Earth, were not exposed to the atmosphere or to biologic factors that could have modified their composition. The ultrasensitive methods used in a new study reporting the composition of the asteroid have allowed to detect very small amounts of uracil in Ryugu samples.
Uracil is one the four nucleobases constituting RNA, a big molecule present in all living cells which is essential for the translation of the genetic information encoded in DNA into proteins. Because of its ability to self-replicate and to store genetic information in the absence of DNA or proteins under experimental conditions, RNA is considered to be the precursor molecule of life. The investigation did not exclude the presence of other nucleobases in the samples that may be below the detection limit of the methods used.
This study also proposes different mechanisms that could explain the formation of uracil in asteroids like the aggregation of molecules such as H2O, NH3 and CH3OH, which are present in interstellar ices through photochemical reactions at low temperatures. The existence of additional molecules and the elucidation of their underlying chemical reactions will be studied in future spatial missions. Sampling from the asteroid Bennu by the NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft is scheduled in 2023. Quoting Carl Sagan, after all we are made of star-stuff.
Original article
A recent analysis of the samples collected by the spacecraft Hayabusa2 from the asteroid Ryugu has detected the presence of uracil, a component of the RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecule. This discovery suggests that the molecules that could have generated the first life forms were initially formed in asteroids in space that were delivered to early Earth 4 billion years ago.
In 2020 the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 collected 5.4 grams of rock and dust from the “near-Earth” asteroid Ryugu 300 million km away from us. This operation allowed to gather pure samples that, unlike the meteorite fragments collected on Earth, were not exposed to the atmosphere or to biologic factors that could have modified their composition. The ultrasensitive methods used in a new study reporting the composition of the asteroid have allowed to detect very small amounts of uracil in Ryugu samples.
Uracil is one the four nucleobases constituting RNA, a big molecule present in all living cells which is essential for the translation of the genetic information encoded in DNA into proteins. Because of its ability to self-replicate and to store genetic information in the absence of DNA or proteins under experimental conditions, RNA is considered to be the precursor molecule of life. The investigation did not exclude the presence of other nucleobases in the samples that may be below the detection limit of the methods used.
This study also proposes different mechanisms that could explain the formation of uracil in asteroids like the aggregation of molecules such as H2O, NH3 and CH3OH, which are present in interstellar ices through photochemical reactions at low temperatures. The existence of additional molecules and the elucidation of their underlying chemical reactions will be studied in future spatial missions. Sampling from the asteroid Bennu by the NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft is scheduled in 2023. Quoting Carl Sagan, after all we are made of star-stuff.
Original article
A recent analysis of the samples collected by the spacecraft Hayabusa2 from the asteroid Ryugu has detected the presence of uracil, a component of the RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecule. This discovery suggests that the molecules that could have generated the first life forms were initially formed in asteroids in space that were delivered to early Earth 4 billion years ago.
In 2020 the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 collected 5.4 grams of rock and dust from the “near-Earth” asteroid Ryugu 300 million km away from us. This operation allowed to gather pure samples that, unlike the meteorite fragments collected on Earth, were not exposed to the atmosphere or to biologic factors that could have modified their composition. The ultrasensitive methods used in a new study reporting the composition of the asteroid have allowed to detect very small amounts of uracil in Ryugu samples.
Uracil is one the four nucleobases constituting RNA, a big molecule present in all living cells which is essential for the translation of the genetic information encoded in DNA into proteins. Because of its ability to self-replicate and to store genetic information in the absence of DNA or proteins under experimental conditions, RNA is considered to be the precursor molecule of life. The investigation did not exclude the presence of other nucleobases in the samples that may be below the detection limit of the methods used.
This study also proposes different mechanisms that could explain the formation of uracil in asteroids like the aggregation of molecules such as H2O, NH3 and CH3OH, which are present in interstellar ices through photochemical reactions at low temperatures. The existence of additional molecules and the elucidation of their underlying chemical reactions will be studied in future spatial missions. Sampling from the asteroid Bennu by the NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft is scheduled in 2023. Quoting Carl Sagan, after all we are made of star-stuff.
Original article