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Amino Acids, Salt, and Other Compounds Discovered in Asteroid Bennu Sample by Scientists

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The asteroid Benne is believed to be made of tile BLE fragments from the body 4.5 billion years ago, which contains materials generated beyond Saturn, which is a separate object long ago. Destroyed by a collision. In two new papers, scientists include amino acids (including 14 out of 20 used in land biology), polygan aromatic hydrocarbons, ammonia and other compounds, and sodium carbonate, phosphate. It is reported to detect salt such as sulfate, sulfate, sulfate, and sulfate sulfate. Chloride is a Bennu sample delivered to the earth by NASA's OSIRIS-REX spacecraft in 2023.

This mosaic image of the asteroid Benne consists of 12 images collected by 15 miles (24 km) of OSIRIS-REX on December 2, 2018. Image Credit: NASA / NASA Godaddo Space Flight Center / Arizona University.

Dr. Nicky Fox, a semi -manager of the NASA headquarters science mission director, states:

“Asteroids provide time capsules to the history of our hometown planet, and Bennne's sample is extremely important to understand what our solar components exist before life begins on the earth.”

In the Bennu sample, researchers Found Amino Acid -Life on the Earth Used to produce proteins, 14- and all five nuclear foundations used by life on the earth, including a method of placing amino acids amino acids. Used to save and send genetic instructions to molecules. protein.

In addition, the very high existence of ammonia was detected. This is important for biology because it may react with formaldehyde detected in samples, form complex molecules such as amino acids and react in consideration of proper conditions.

When the amino acid is linked to a long chain, protein is created and almost all biological functions supply power.

These building blocks detected by the Bennu sample have previously been found on the outer rocks.

However, it supports the idea that identifying them with an unbalanced sample collected in the universe may be an important cause for the life of the entire solar system. I am.

Dr. Dany Gravin, a senior sample scientist at NASA's Godde Space Flight Center, states:

“That's why some of these new discoveries are not possible without sample return missions, close pollution control measures, and the precious curation and storage of this precious material from Benne.”

OSIRIS-REX View on the outside of sample collector. The asteroid sample material can be seen in the center of the right. Image credit: NASA / ERIKA Blumenfeld / Joseph AeberSold.

scientist It will be identified The traces of 11 salt minerals in the bene sample, which are formed as water containing dissolved salt, evaporate for a long period of time, leaving salt as solid crystals.

Similar salt water is detected or proposed throughout the solar system, including Dwarf Planet Ceres and Saturn's Moon Enkelladus.

“The discovery of these salt was a break -through in space research,” said Dr. Nick Timms, a researcher at Curtin University.

“I was surprised to identify the mineral haright, which is a sodium chloride. It is exactly the same salt as the salt that may be placed in the chip.”

“The mineral we discovered is formed from the evaporation of salt water, which is a bit similar to the salt sediment formed in Australia and the salt lake around the world.”

“By comparing with the mineral sequence of the salt lake on the earth, we can begin to imagine what the asteroid Bennne was, and provide instructions on ancient universe water activities.”

“OSIRIS-REX was a very successful mission,” said Dr. Jason Dworkin, the scientist of OSIRIS-REX, a researcher of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

“OSIRIS-REX data adds a major brush stroke to photos of the solar system that may have life.”

“Why are we so far, not only to see the life on the earth, but it's a really appetite question.”

The survey results are displayed in two journals Natural astronomy And journal Nature。

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DP gravin et al。 Asteroid (101955) Sil soluble organic matter with abundant ammonia and nitrogen in Benne sample. Nut asronReleased online on January 29, 2025. Doi: 10.1038/S41550-02472-9

TJ McCoy et al。 2025. An evaporated sequence from ancient salt water recorded in Bennne sample. Nature 637, 1072-1077; DOI: 10.1038/S41586-024-08495-6

Source: www.sci.news

Research suggests that biological amino acids could potentially endure in the near-surface ice of Europa and Enceladus

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Europa and Enceladus are important targets for the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life in the solar system. However, the surfaces and shallow subsurfaces of these airless icy moons are constantly exposed to ionizing radiation that can degrade chemical biosignatures. Therefore, sampling the icy surfaces in future life-searching missions to Europa and Enceladus requires a clear understanding of the required ice depths where intact organic biomolecules may exist. A team of scientists from NASA and Pennsylvania State University conducted experiments exposing individual biological and abiotic amino acids in the ice to gamma radiation to simulate conditions on these icy worlds.

Europa's surface stands out in this newly reprocessed color image. The image scale is 1.6 km per pixel. Europa's north side is on the right. Image courtesy of NASA / JPL-Caltech / SETI Institute.

“Based on our experiments, a 'safe' sampling depth for amino acids on Europa is about 20 centimetres (8 inches) at high latitudes in the trailing hemisphere (the hemisphere opposite the direction Europa moves around Jupiter), in an area where the surface has not been significantly disturbed by meteorite impacts,” said Dr. Alexander Pavlov, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

“Detecting amino acids on Enceladus does not require subsurface sampling; these molecules survive radiolysis (breakdown by radiation) anywhere on Enceladus' surface, within a few millimeters (tenths of an inch) of the surface.”

Dr. Pavlov and his colleagues used amino acids in their radiolysis experiments as representative examples of biomolecules on icy moons.

Amino acids are produced by both living organisms and non-living processes.

But if certain types of amino acids were found on Europa or Enceladus, they could be a sign of life, as they may be used by life on Earth as building blocks of proteins.

Proteins are essential for life because they are used to create structures and to produce enzymes that speed up or control chemical reactions.

Amino acids and other compounds found underground in the ocean could be transported to the surface by geyser activity or the slow churning motion of the ice shell.

To assess the survival of amino acids on these planets, the researchers mixed amino acid samples with ice cooled to minus 196 degrees Celsius (minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit) in sealed, airless vials and exposed them to various doses of gamma rays (a type of high-energy light).

Because the ocean may harbor microorganisms, the researchers also tested the viability of amino acids contained in dead bacteria in the ice.

Finally, the researchers tested samples of amino acids in the ice mixed with silicate dust to see if meteorites or interior materials could be mixing with the surface ice.

This experiment provided vital data for determining the rate at which amino acids break down (called the radiolysis constant).

Using these, the scientists used the age and radiation environment of the icy surfaces of Europa and Enceladus to calculate drilling depths and where 10% of amino acids would survive radiolysis.

While experiments have been done before to test for the survival of amino acids in ice, this is the first to use low doses of radiation that don't completely break down the amino acids – changing or breaking them down would be insufficient to determine whether they were a sign of life.

This is also the first experiment to use Europa/Enceladus conditions to assess the survival of these compounds in microbes, and the first to test the survival of amino acids mixed with dust.

Scientists have found that amino acids break down faster when mixed with dust, but more slowly when they come from microorganisms.

“The slow rate of breakdown of amino acids in biological samples under surface conditions like those on Europa and Enceladus strengthens the case for future life detection measurements from lander missions to Europa and Enceladus,” Dr Pavlov said.

“Our results indicate that the decomposition rates of potential organic biomolecules are higher in the silica-rich regions of both Europa and Enceladus than in pure ice. Future missions to Europa and Enceladus should therefore be careful when sampling the silica-rich regions of these icy moons.”

“A possible explanation for why amino acids survive longer in bacteria is the way that ionizing radiation alters molecules, either directly by breaking chemical bonds or indirectly by creating nearby reactive compounds that alter or break down the target molecule.”

“It's possible that the bacterial cellular material protected the amino acids from reactive compounds produced by the radiation.”

Team paper Published in the journal Astrobiology.

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Alexander A. Pavlov others2024. Effects of radiolysis on biological and abiotic amino acids in shallow subsurface ice on Europa and Enceladus. Astrobiology 24(7); doi: 10.1089/ast.2023.0120

This article has been edited based on the original NASA release.

Source: www.sci.news

New study sheds light on amino acid metabolism and transport in tea plants

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High concentrations of free amino acids in tea leaves are important for tea’s flavor and health functions, but their biosynthesis, transport and turnover in the tea plant have remained unknown.

A practical model of nitrogen assimilation, amino acid synthesis, transport, and decomposition/recycling in tea plants. Image courtesy of Yu others., doi: 10.1093/hr/uhae060.

“Amino acids are essential for plant growth and have a significant impact on the flavor and health benefits of tea,” Professor Zhao Jian Hunan Agricultural University and colleagues.

“Especially the tea trees Camellia sinensis exhibits a unique amino acid profile that contributes to its distinctive taste and nutritional value.”

“Although the importance of amino acids such as theanine and glutamine (Gln) is known, the detailed dynamics of their synthesis, transport and degradation in tea plants remain unknown.”

“These challenges require intensive research to be carried out to understand the complex metabolic pathways and spatial distribution of amino acids within the tea plant.”

In the study, Professor Zhao and his co-authors analyzed the spatial dynamics of amino acid biosynthesis, transport and turnover in tea plants.

“This study provides a detailed analysis of the metabolic pathways and gene expression that control these processes,” the researchers said.

“By understanding these mechanisms, we hope to improve tea cultivation and enhance the quality of tea beverages.”

“This study revealed that nitrogen assimilation occurs mainly in the roots, where glutamate, theanine and arginine (Arg) are actively synthesized. These amino acids are then transported through the plant’s vascular system.”

“Transcriptome analysis revealed that genes involved in Arg synthesis are highly expressed in roots, whereas genes involved in Arg transport and degradation are expressed in stems and young leaves. This indicates that there is a sophisticated amino acid management system within the plant.”

“One of the key findings is the role of the CsGSIa gene, which is crucial for the synthesis, transport and recycling of amino acids.”

“Overexpression and knockdown experiments of CsGSIa in transgenic tea plants demonstrated significant effects on the levels of Gln and theanine.”

“The study also revealed that Arg, Gln, glutamic acid (Glu), and theanine are the major amino acids transported through xylem sap, facilitating long-distance nitrogen transport from roots to leaves.”

“Our findings provide a detailed map of amino acid metabolism in the tea plant, which is of vital importance for both basic science and applied agricultural practice,” Dr Zhao said.

“Understanding these metabolic pathways opens up new possibilities for breeding tea varieties with enhanced flavor and health benefits.”

The team’s findings have important implications for the tea industry.

“By elucidating the pathway of amino acid metabolism, our study paves the way for the development of tea plants with higher contents of beneficial amino acids, enhancing both flavour and nutritional value,” the researchers said.

“These insights can be applied to breeding programs and cultivation practices to produce superior tea varieties.”

“Furthermore, understanding these metabolic processes can help us develop strategies to improve nitrogen use efficiency, contributing to more sustainable and productive tea farms.”

of study Published in the journal Horticultural Research.

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Shuwei Yu others2024. Analysis of spatial dynamics of biosynthesis, transport and metabolism of major amino acids in tea plants (Camellia sinensis). Horticultural Research 11(5):uhae060; doi:10.1093/hr/uhae060

Source: www.sci.news