Samples from the asteroid Ryugu contain uracil, one of the four building blocks of RNA, as well as niacin and other compounds that are important for living organisms. This lends credence to the idea that the ingredients for life were brought to Earth by space rocks. Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft […]
ryugu
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Samples collected from asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft have been found to contain two more molecules vital for life here on Earth. The compounds were uracil, a building block of RNA, the molecules which store information of how to build and operate living organisms and niacin, or vitamin B, […]
The first analysis of a sample recovered from asteroid Ryugu has shown the space rock to harbour a rich complement of organic molecules. The finding adds support to the notion that some of the chemical ingredients needed for life may have had their origins in outer space. Samples were collected […]
An asteroid 200 million miles from Earth has been found to contain the building blocks of life, Japanese scientists say. More than 20 types of amino acids have reportedly been discovered in samples collected from asteroid Ryugu by Tokyo’s Hayabusa2 probe in 2018 and 2019. Experts have previously said the samples […]
Last year, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 asteroid explorer returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu, and now the first analysis of the rock shows it has a primitive composition and a curiously dark colour Space 20 December 2021 By Alex Wilkins Artist’s impression of Hayabusa 2 near Ryugu Akihiro Ikeshita The asteroid […]
By Leah Crane The Hayabusa 2 spacecraft bombed Ryugu in 2019 JAXA, University of Tokyo & collaborators In 2019, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft bombed the asteroid Ryugu, using explosives to shoot it with a 2.5-kilogram lump of copper to create an artificial crater. Scientists expected this impact to shake the […]
Chunks of a meteorite which caused an enormous fireball in the skies above south-west England last month have been recovered by scientists. The largest is a 300g (10.5oz) lump which was found on a private driveway in the sleepy village of Winchcombe in the Cotswolds after being snared by Earth’s orbit. […]
In this artist rendering released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Hayabusa probe collects surface samples after landing on an asteroid. – AP Photo/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, HO Water and organic matter found on the surface of an asteroid could explain how life formed on Earth, the first […]