A “potentially hazardous” asteroid contains all of the “letters” that make up DNA, suggesting that these key ingredients for life may be common in the solar system.
Researchers made the discovery after analyzing samples collected from asteroid Ryugu, a 3,000-foot-wide (900 meters) space rock shaped like a spinning top.
The scientists detected a complete set of canonical nucleobases, which are the building blocks for DNA — the genetic foundation for all life on Earth — and its lesser-known cousin RNA, according to a new study published Monday (March 16) in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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