Could the earliest building blocks of life have come from space?
Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2022 10:31 pm
https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/dna- ... eteorites/
It might sound outlandish, but it’s possible that some of the earliest components of life were carried to Earth on a meteorite. Recent research has shown that all five of the basic building blocks of DNA have been found in meteorites.
To be clear, it isn’t that DNA has been found on a rock from outer space. Rather, the result is that each of the five basic compounds which make up DNA and RNA, called nucleobases, have been found in meteorite samples. Previously, only three of these nucleobases had been found on meteorites, but recent research has identified the final two.
It might sound outlandish, but it’s possible that some of the earliest components of life were carried to Earth on a meteorite. Recent research has shown that all five of the basic building blocks of DNA have been found in meteorites.
To be clear, it isn’t that DNA has been found on a rock from outer space. Rather, the result is that each of the five basic compounds which make up DNA and RNA, called nucleobases, have been found in meteorite samples. Previously, only three of these nucleobases had been found on meteorites, but recent research has identified the final two.