![]() These nucleobase-related molecules, called nucleobase analogs, provide the first evidence that the compounds in the meteorites came from space and not terrestrial contamination. ![]() ![]() The team found adenine and guanine, which are components of DNA nucleobases.Īlso, in two of the meteorites, the team discovered for the first time trace amounts of three molecules related to nucleobases that almost never are used in biology. In the new work, scientists analyzed samples of 12 carbon-rich meteorites, nine of which were recovered from Antarctica. The findings will be published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Proteins are used in everything from structures such as hair to enzymes, which are the catalysts that speed up or regulate chemical reactions. Amino acids are used to make proteins, the workhorse molecules of life. Previously, scientists found amino acids in samples of comet Wild 2 from NASA’s Stardust mission and in various carbon-rich meteorites. The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that the chemistry inside asteroids and comets is capable of making building blocks of essential biological molecules. The latest research indicates certain nucleobases - the building blocks of our genetic material - reach the Earth on meteorites in greater diversity and quantity than previously thought. Scientists have detected the building blocks of DNA in meteorites since the 1960s, but were unsure whether they were created in space or resulted from contamination by terrestrial life. (Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center) The research gives support to the theory that a “kit” of ready-made parts created in space and delivered to Earth by meteorite and comet impacts assisted the origin of life. NASA-funded researchers have evidence that some building blocks of DNA, the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for life, found in meteorites were likely created in space.
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