NASA’s historic asteroid mission revealed that Bennu contains minerals containing vital ingredients.
In-depth new analysis of identified 45 million year old samples magnesium phosphate found in Earth’s oceans, phyllosilicates seen in tectonic plates, and glycine, which is an important component of proteins.
Scientists also identified water-bearing minerals, confirming speculation that Bennu came from an ancient water world that may have been suitable for life.
The team thinks it’s possible that an asteroid like Bennu brought these minerals to Earth, forming the building blocks of life and restarting the process that led to our existence.
Bennu samples weigh 0.23 ounces and measure 1.4 inches wide
The OSIRIS-REx mission collected samples from the asteroid Bennu and scientists hoped it would explain the origins of life here on Earth.
The researchers reported that the results proved that the asteroid’s parent planet had experienced several water-related events and that the presence of magnesium phosphate in the asteroid Bennu could shed light on the planet’s geological activity where it comes from.
Magnesium phosphate is found in the bones and seeds of plants on Earth and can be used to help humans maintain bone and cardiovascular health and regulate the nervous system.
Phyllosilicates, present in clay during Earth tectonics, and glycine, an important component of proteins, were also identified in the samples.
It forms when rock is pushed into a seabed and its exposure to water creates an exothermic reaction that generates heat.
This mineral is believed to be part of our planet’s early history, and researchers’ findings from the Bennu sample could provide clues to the origins of life.
At the same time, glycine, an essential amino acid for the human body, contributes to cell growth and stimulates the production of serotonin, the “feel-good hormone”.
Glycine was first discovered in interstellar dust clouds nearly 20 years ago, leading scientists to theorize that molecules in space helped spark life on Earth.
The samples contain minerals rarely found in space rocks, including magnesium phosphate, glycine, carbonate and many others.
Minerals are not typically found on space rocks because it takes researchers years to find them and exposure to Earth’s air changes its surface.
Scientists from the University of Arizona used a powerful electron microscope to observe and test the asteroid samples. They revealed the presence of not only large quantities of magnesium phosphate and glycine, but also other water-based minerals, including carbonates, sulfites, olivine and magnetite.
Olivine is an important mineral found on the seafloor that serves as a boundary between Earth’s oceanic and continental crust, while magnetite purifies water.
The minerals found in the Bennu samples are rare because most asteroids are not found for several years and the long exposure to Earth’s air weathers the surface of the space rock.
“I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see samples where everything isn’t altered to sulfates and all kinds of gunk,” said team member Tim McCoy. Live Science.
“You literally see it the day it fell – it’s remarkable to see something so fresh.”
The OSIRIS-REx mission brought the samples back to Earth in September 2023
Scientists also discovered compounds called phyllosilicates – a mineral found in clay bound to meteorite water and abundant on Earth.
The data was collected at Bennu using NASA’s OSRISIS-REx mission, meaning scientists were able to collect fresh, intact samples directly from the source.
The Bennu samples are in the most pristine condition scientists have ever seen, measuring 1.4 inches wide and weighing 0.23 ounces, reported University of Arizona LPL researcher Andrew Ryan, at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Texas. , that it is “by far the biggest loot on the surface of Bennu”.
“It’s a beautiful sample,” Sara Russell, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum in London who analyzed a small fragment of the sample, told Live Science.
“Also, I would say it doesn’t look like any meteorite in our collection,” she added.
NASA chose to collect samples from the 1,250-foot asteroid in 2016 because it believed it was rich in organic compounds.
The OSIRIS-REx mission delivered samples from Bennu in September 2023 and showed that life did indeed exist on the asteroid’s home planet.
“We’re going back to the dawn of the solar system, we’re looking for clues as to why Earth is a habitable world, this rare gem in space that has oceans and a protective atmosphere,” Lauretta said after receiving samples from the OSIRIS-REx mission in September.
“The biggest question is the origin of life and we think we’re bringing back this kind of material, perhaps the seeds of life that these asteroids delivered early on.”