Story perspectives

NASA Finds Sugars on Asteroid Bennu, Hinting at Life's Origins

12/4/2025

Summary

Story summary

NASA researchers detect sugars, including glucose and ribose, in samples from the Bennu asteroid, marking the first detection of ribose in extraterrestrial material.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected these samples, and analysis suggests ribose was more prevalent than deoxyribose in early solar system environments.
The findings support theories that early life relied on RNA.
Researchers also identify a substance dubbed "space gum" that may have contributed to life's origins on Earth.

History

Historical Context

The OSIRIS-REx mission, launched in September 2016, successfully returned approximately 120 grams of material from the asteroid Bennu on September 24, 2023. This mission builds on earlier research from the 1970s, which suggested that organic compounds essential for life could exist beyond Earth, potentially reshaping our understanding of life's origins and the conditions necessary for life in the universe.

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Story summary

NASA researchers detect sugars, including glucose and ribose, in samples from the Bennu asteroid, marking the first detection of ribose in extraterrestrial material.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected these samples, and analysis suggests ribose was more prevalent than deoxyribose in early solar system environments.
The findings support theories that early life relied on RNA.
Researchers also identify a substance dubbed "space gum" that may have contributed to life's origins on Earth.

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