All five DNA and RNA nucleobases found in asteroid Ryugu samples
Japanese study confirms pristine space rock contains molecular building blocks of life
A team of Japanese scientists has confirmed that all five nucleobases that form the genetic code of life on Earth are present in samples from the asteroid Ryugu, collected by JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission in 2020. The finding, published in Nature Astronomy, supports the idea that the molecular ingredients of life were forming in space billions of years ago and may have been delivered to the early Earth by asteroids.