Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, June 7 (intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin) According to Japanese media reports, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said that scientists detected more than 20 amino acids in samples collected by the asteroid probe Hayabusa 2.
This is the first evidence of the existence of amino acids outside Earth, and has important implications for understanding how these vital organic molecules get to Earth.
In December 2020, the six-year recovery capsule carried by the probe Hayabusa 2 returned to Earth from the asteroid Ryugu, which is more than 300 million kilometers away, and brought back about 5.4 grams of planetary surface samples.
Teams such as the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) analyzed the samples and detected more than 20 amino acids.
Kobayashi Kenzheng, an honorary professor of astrobiology at Yokohama National University in Japan, said that the discovery of multiple amino acids on celestial bodies other than Earth is "unprecedented" and may even suggest the existence of life beyond Earth. "Proving that amino acids exist underground in asteroids increases these The possibility of compounds reaching Earth from space".
It also means that amino acids may be present on other planets and natural satellites, suggesting that "life may have been born in more places in the universe than previously thought".
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, organic molecules that are integral to the formation of life.
While it is not known how amino acids got to the ancient Earth, one theory is that they were present in abundance when the Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago, but ceased to exist after the Earth was covered in magma and became extremely hot, but then again Reintroduced from outer space by meteors.
There are also theories that amino acids themselves exist on the surface of the earth.
This time, the samples collected by Hayabusa2 came from asteroid subsurface material that was not eroded by sunlight or cosmic rays. The analysis was carried out without exposing it to Earth's air, which means the first time for researchers It has been confirmed that the building blocks of life also exist in outer space.
With more analysis of data from the Ryugu sample, scientists will gain more information about the asteroid's composition and how it formed.
By comparing the results of the Ryugu sample material with samples collected from the asteroid Bennu, scientists will gain a better understanding of the various chemical mixtures in the universe and how life arose.