Everything needed to make DNA and RNA found in asteroid sample -The Register

[justaprogressive]

Scientists have found that all five of the substances that make up DNA and RNA in samples from Ryugu, the asteroid Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency visited in 2020.

As outlined in a paper titled “A complete set of canonical nucleobases in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu” that appeared in the journal Nature Astronomy this week, analysis of samples from Ryugu turned up “all five canonical nucleobases – purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (cytosine, thymine and uracil).”

That matters because “The purines adenine and guanine and the pyrimidines cytosine, uracil and thymine constitute the base sequences of DNA and RNA that encode and transmit genetic information.”

And they were all floating around in an orbit between Earth and Mars.

“This implies that the molecular prerequisites for life are not unique to Earth and may emerge as natural products of chemical evolution throughout the Solar System,” the paper states.

There’s more: “Nucleobases could have been delivered to the early Earth, potentially contributing to the molecular inventory necessary for life,” the paper argues. “Furthermore, elucidating the formation mechanisms of extraterrestrial nucleobases helps to constrain the universal physicochemical conditions under which they can form abiotically, thus linking astrochemical processes in interstellar and planetary environments to the chemical evolution that preceded the origin of life.”

https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/17/everything_needed_to_make_dna/

[berniesandersmittens]

1. K & R

[RT Atlanta]

2. some profoundly amazing news

thank you for sharing!

[Mustellus]

4. But but but....

Most of these molecules have mirror images. Same molecule, just a left and right handed version. Here on earth, Life uses only the right handed versions. Meteorite molecules are racimic.. equal numbers of left and right.

If they can be made in space, they certainly can be made here.

[mainer]

6. And if left-handed versions contaminate earth

It could have end life as we know it. Our immune systems are designed to combat bacteria and viruses with right-handed versions. We'd be unable to fight off such infections.

[erronis]

7. Scientific American article: Deadly 'reverse' cells can destroy us unless scientists stop them

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lifes-evil-twins-mirror-cells-could-doom-earth-if-scientists-dont-stop-them/

Researchers are closer to making “reversed” cells that may wipe us off the planet

I'm ambivalent (sic joke) on this but understand the fears. Witness scrapie, kuru-kuru, etc. especially if synthetic reverse-chirality organisms are introduced into the environment.

[Clouds Passing]

5. Life is everywhere

[paleotn]

8. The ingredients are everywhere.

Whether they come together to bake a cake is another story. But I still agree with you. Given enough opportunities, trillions upon trillions of star systems just in our local group of galaxies, it would be unusual if life didn't occur many, many, many times over. Perhaps billions of times. Just not what we would consider intelligent life. That might be very rare. It's an extremely new phenomenon on our own planet and the jury is still out on whether it's a viable evolutionary edge or just a novel, and sometimes destructive dead end. "Unintelligent" life did just fine around here for billions of years prior to our species showing up.

[Clouds Passing]

11. Intelligence is extremely rare with the Dumpy crowd

[Clouds Passing]

13. And who is to say what constitutes intelligence. I believe intelligence takes many forms.

Wisdom. Knowledge. Emotional. Intellectual. Genetics. Learned. Etc….

[Botany]

9. Life on earth came from space.

Our ancestral DNA came to earth inside of “Bucky Balls.”

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Is there so much as a shred of evidence for that rampant speculation ? If not, don't post it. nt

[Botany]

16. I promise you I know my stuff.

This is just one more tiny piece of the puzzle about the origins and evolution of life on earth.

We have tons and tons of evidence* but if some people can not look @ that evidence w/out an
agenda then there is nothing I can do and or say will change their minds.

* The fossil records, science, empirical data, genetics, cosmology, and rigorous testing are all
there and they tell a story however incomplete it is now.

[Aussie105]

10. Finding a spark plug on the side of the road doesn't mean that if you leave it there for millions of years that you can

find a complete car when you come back there.

Some important steps needed between finding building blocks of Life in an asteroid to thinking life exists elsewhere.

[WarGamer]

12. To all the abiogenesis cultists and Neil DeGrasse Tyson... blow me!!

This is just proof of what logical folks have been suggesting for decades.

The building blocks for life here on Earth have extraterrestrial origin.

Just wait until we find a fossil on an asteroid... it's coming.

[eppur_se_muova]

15. Before reaching any far-reaching conclusions, I'm going to wait to see if this stands up.

An eventual published retraction would surprise me not in the slightest.