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Building Blocks Of Life

All articles tagged with #building blocks of life

"Asteroid Bennu: Unveiling Life's Building Blocks and Rare Minerals in New Analysis"

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission has made a groundbreaking discovery with the sample it collected from asteroid Bennu, revealing the presence of carbon, water, and minerals never before seen on Earth. This suggests that the building blocks of life on Earth might be found in this extraterrestrial rock, providing unprecedented insight into the origins of life and the early solar system. While scientists are excited about these findings, they also caution about Bennu's classification as a potentially hazardous asteroid and emphasize the need to continue tracking and understanding such near-Earth objects.

via The Times of India|

#asteroid-bennu #building-blocks-of-life #nasa

science1 year ago•1 min saved

"Lab Synthesis Unlocks Key Compound for Life's Birth"

Scientists have created an essential compound for life, coenzyme A, in a lab using simple molecules likely present during Earth's early days. The team's experiment, which involved materials believed to have been abundant on early Earth, resulted in the production of pantetheine, a crucial component of coenzyme A. This suggests that life's building blocks could have naturally come together to form living cells, potentially in more places than previously thought. The study opens up the possibility of creating life from static materials in a lab or even on another planet.

via Newser|

#building-blocks-of-life #coenzyme-a #early-earth

space2 years ago•4 min saved

"Potential for Life: Saturn's Icy Moon Holds Promising Building Blocks"

Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, known as an 'ocean world,' contains ice plumes that spew from its surface at high speeds. Researchers from the University of California San Diego have shown that amino acids, the building blocks of life, can survive impact speeds of up to 4.2 km/s, supporting their detection during sampling by spacecraft. This discovery raises the possibility of finding signs of life in the subsurface oceans of Enceladus and other ocean worlds in the solar system.

via Phys.org|

#astrobiology #building-blocks-of-life #enceladus

science-and-astronomy2 years ago•4 min saved

Cosmic Clouds: The Origins of Life's Building Blocks

Laboratory experiments have shown that amino acids, the building blocks of life, can form in the frigid conditions of interstellar molecular gas clouds. By mimicking the conditions of these clouds, scientists were able to create carbamic acid, a simple amino acid. This finding strengthens the theory that the basic building blocks of life on Earth were formed in space before being delivered to our planet. The study also suggests that amino acids can form even without ionizing radiation and sets lower limits for the temperature at which amino acids can form. The next steps for researchers are to synthesize the formation of other organic compounds in conditions mimicking interstellar clouds and star-forming regions.

via Space.com|

#amino-acids #building-blocks-of-life #interstellar-molecular-clouds

space-science2 years ago•3 min saved

Life's Foundation: Building Blocks Formed on Cosmic Dust in the Void

Complex organic molecules, which serve as the building blocks of life, may have formed on tiny grains of dust in the cold vacuum of space, according to a new study. These dust grains, enriched with carbon atoms, react with frozen water to create simple molecules containing carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. These molecules then combine and react with other elements and molecules in the dust, forming more complex organic molecules. The findings suggest that the conditions of deep space alone can generate the necessary complexity for life to emerge.

via Livescience.com|

#building-blocks-of-life #dust-grains #organic-molecules

space-science2 years ago•5 min saved

NASA's Historic Discovery: Ancient Asteroid Sample Unveils Clues to Life's Origins

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission has brought back a sample from the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu, revealing high-carbon content and water, which could potentially be the building blocks of life on Earth. The sample will be extensively analyzed to gain insights into the formation of our solar system, the origins of life on Earth, and the threat of asteroid impacts. This discovery marks a significant step in understanding our cosmic heritage and unlocking the secrets of our celestial neighborhood.

via SciTechDaily|

#asteroid-bennu #building-blocks-of-life #nasa

science2 years ago•2 min saved

"Extraterrestrial Worlds Hold All Building Blocks for Life, Including Key Element Phosphorus"

Phosphorus, a key building block for life, has been detected on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, making it the first time that all six elements essential for life have been found on a moon beyond Earth. The discovery was made by analyzing data collected by NASA's Cassini Mission, which spent over a decade exploring Saturn and its moons. Enceladus is now considered one of the most likely places for life to exist in our solar system, as it has a subsurface ocean with a high concentration of phosphorus readily available for the potential formation of life.

via ExplorersWeb|

#building-blocks-of-life #cassini-mission #enceladus

space2 years ago•3 min saved

Life's Building Blocks Found in Milky Way's Perseus Cloud

Astronomers have discovered prebiotic molecules, considered the essential building blocks for life, in a star cluster within the Perseus Molecular Cloud called IC348. The cloud is one of the closest active star-forming regions to the solar system at just 1,000 light-years away. The detection of prebiotic molecules at such a site and so close to the star cluster IC348 could indicate that as young planets form, they accrete material that contains molecules that eventually contribute to the formation of complex organic molecules. The discovery was made using data collected by NASA's now retired Spitzer Space Telescope and will be followed up with the more powerful James Webb Space Telescope.

via Space.com|

#building-blocks-of-life #james-webb-space-telescope #perseus-molecular-cloud

science2 years ago•3 min saved

Life's Building Blocks Found on Asteroid Ryugu

Scientists have discovered RNA nucleobases, including uracil, in a sample extracted from asteroid Ryugu, confirming that the building blocks for life can be found in space rocks. The discovery adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests life's building blocks may have been delivered to Earth by asteroid bombardment early in our planet's history. The compounds identified in the Ryugu samples, which include amino acids, amines, and carboxylic acids, differ from those found in other carbon-rich meteorites that have fallen to Earth, but are broadly similar. NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission will be returning samples from asteroid Bennu this year, providing further data to build on current theories.

via ScienceAlert|

#asteroid #astrochemistry #building-blocks-of-life