Sense: Asteroids provided the building blocks for life on Earth

In 2014, the Japanese space agency JAXA launched a rocket equipped with a space probe. The probe is called Hayabusa2 and was sent to Ryugu. Ryugu is a C-type asteroid and has approximately the same orbit around the Sun as Earth. The probe collected surface samples and samples of dust hitting the target. They both returned to Earth in 2020.

Since then, several teams have examined the samples. They wanted to know more about the asteroid and its history. In this new study, the research team examined a sample from Ryugu. They wanted to prove that asteroids are the source of many compounds necessary for life on Earth.

Researchers found magnesium, ammonium, and hydrated phosphorus using different methods. The results showed that asteroids like Ryugu are composed not only of organic elements and compounds, but also of compounds in their watery form. These compounds could be the building blocks of life on Earth.

The researchers examined the rock using X-ray spectrometry and other methods. They found magnesium, ammonium, and phosphorus in water. The results showed that asteroids like Ryugu are composed not only of organic elements and compounds, but also of compounds in their watery form. These compounds could be the building blocks of life on Earth.