Researchers analyzing samples from asteroid Bennu have discovered amino acids, essential components for life, that appear to have formed in radioactive space environments. This finding challenges the previous belief that such molecules required warm, liquid water to develop.
The study suggests that the radiation present in space could have driven the chemical reactions necessary to create these organic compounds. This expands the understanding of how life’s building blocks might arise in different cosmic conditions.
**Why this matters**
This discovery broadens the potential environments where life’s precursors can form, indicating that organic molecules may develop in harsher, colder regions of space than previously thought. It also provides new insights into the chemical processes that could have contributed to the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere.
Source: NewsData