Science

Bennu asteroid analysis suggests unexpected origins for organics in space

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Briefings

Research indicates that organic molecules found in Bennu and Murchison meteorites likely formed via the same process but originated from distant locations in the solar system, challenging previous assumptions about their shared origin. The study compares samples from the Bennu asteroid, located over 200 million miles from Earth, with the Murchison meteorite that fell in 1969, revealing a complex formation history involving interstellar delivery rather than local solar system processes.

Key points

• Samples from Bennu asteroid and Murchison meteorite contain molecules capable of building proteins essential for life.
• Analysis suggests these molecules may have formed through identical processes but originated from distant regions of the solar system.

Context

This finding challenges the long-held belief that organic molecules in space originated locally within the solar system, suggesting instead that interstellar delivery played a significant role in early life formation.

Limitations

The study relies on molecular analysis of two specific meteorites and asteroids, with no direct measurements of the formation processes themselves. The timeline remains uncertain as the exact duration of interstellar exposure is not fully quantified.

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