JOURNAL ARTICLE

Asteroid has all ingredients for life.

  • Published In: New Scientist, 2026, v. 269, n. 3588. P. 15 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Crane, Leah; O'Callaghan, Jonathan 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on recent discoveries regarding asteroids and their potential role in the origin of life on Earth. Samples from the asteroid Ryugu, collected by Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft in 2018, contain all five primary nucleobases essential for DNA and RNA, supporting the hypothesis that asteroids may have delivered these building blocks to early Earth. Upcoming missions, including the US company ExLabs' ApophisExL spacecraft and the European-Japanese Ramses mission, aim to study the asteroid Apophis during its close Earth flyby in 2029. Additionally, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS exhibits unusually high levels of deuterium and low carbon-13, indicating it formed around a star system much older than the Sun. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:New Scientist. 2026/03, Vol. 269, Issue 3588, p15
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Publication Date:2026
  • ISSN:0262-4079
  • Accession Number:192501058
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