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Scientists Uncover Pre-Solar Stardust in Asteroid Bennu Samples

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Scientists have discovered an unexpectedly high quantity of pre-solar particles (dust from supernovae predating our solar system) in samples obtained from the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu by NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft.

Characterization of pre-solar spinel hibonite particles collected from the asteroid Bennu. Image credit: Nguyen et al., doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02688-3.

Dr. Anh Nguyen from NASA’s Johnson Space Center and colleagues noted, “Pre-solar stardust particles are typically found in trace amounts within meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, Antarctic meteorites, samples returned from comet 81 P/Wild2 by NASA’s Stardust mission, and those from the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu collected by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission.”

“Their distinct isotopic compositions arise from nucleosynthetic processes in evolved red giant stars, supernovae, and novae.”

“The mineralogy and chemistry of these pre-solar particles can provide insights into condensation conditions and the impacts of secondary alteration, as they are prone to changes and destruction in space, solar nebulae, and planetesimals.”

In their study, researchers examined pre-solar particles found within two different rock types in the samples from Bennu.

The sample had six times the particles compared to any other astronomical material studied, indicating its parent body formed in an area of a protoplanetary disk abundant with the dust from a dying star.

The research also pointed out that while Bennu’s parent asteroid has experienced significant fluid-induced alterations, there are still pockets of less-altered material within the sample, offering clues to its origins.

“These remnants are rich in organic compounds and pre-solar silicate particles, which are generally vulnerable to alteration caused by asteroid water,” Dr. Nguyen remarked.

“It’s remarkable that they were preserved in the Bennu sample, suggesting certain materials escaped alteration in the parent body.”

“Our investigation highlights the variety of pre-solar material that accumulates during parent formation.”

A study detailing the findings was published in the journal on December 2nd, in Nature Astronomy.

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Anh Nguyen et al. Abundant supernova dust and heterogeneous water alteration revealed by stardust of two lithofacies on asteroid Bennu. Nat Astron published online on December 2, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02688-3

Source: www.sci.news

Sticky Substance Discovered in Asteroid Bennu Samples

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This rubbery material is a first for space observations and likely originated during the early formation of the solar system as Bennu’s parent asteroid heated up. Initially soft and pliable, it hardened into an ancient “space gum” made up of a polymer rich in nitrogen and oxygen. The presence of such complex molecules may have contributed essential chemical precursors for the emergence of life on Earth, making their discovery in Bennu’s pristine samples crucial for scientists studying the origins of life and the potential for life beyond our planet.

Electron micrograph of particles taken from a Bennu sample. Image credit: Sandford et al., doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02694-5.

Bennu’s parent asteroid originated from material in the solar nebula (the rotating cloud of gas and dust that formed our solar system) and was composed of various minerals and ice.

As the asteroid warmed from natural radiation, compounds known as carbamates were created through reactions involving ammonia and carbon dioxide.

Despite being water-soluble, carbamates can persist long enough to polymerize and interact with other molecules, forming larger, more complex chains that are water-resistant.

This indicates that the parent asteroid formed before it became a watery environment.

“With this unusual material, we may be observing one of the earliest transformations that occurred in this rock,” stated Dr. Scott Sandford, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

“In this ancient asteroid, formed in the early epochs of our solar system, we are witnessing events close to the dawn of time.”

The study explored the properties of this gum-like substance from Bennu.

As more information was revealed, it became apparent that the material was deposited in layers over ice and mineral grains present on the asteroid.

This material was also flexible, resembling the texture of used gum or soft plastic.

During their analysis, researchers observed that this peculiar material could bend and create indentations when pressure was applied.

The object was translucent and became brittle upon radiation exposure, reminiscent of a lawn chair left outdoors for several seasons.

“Analyzing its chemical composition shows that it contains similar chemical groups found in polyurethane on Earth, thus making this Bennu material comparable to ‘space plastic’,” Dr. Sandford explained.

“However, the material from ancient asteroids goes beyond just being polyurethane, which is a structured polymer.”

“It has a more random assortment of connections, with varying elemental compositions for each particle.”

The team’s findings were published in the Journal on December 2, 2025, in Nature Astronomy.

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SA Sandford et al. Nitrogen- and oxygen-rich organic material indicates polymerization in preaqueous low-temperature chemistry in Bennu’s parent body. Nat Astron published online on December 2, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02694-5

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists Uncover Alien Bioessential Sugars in Asteroid Bennu Samples

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A collaborative effort by researchers from the U.S. and Japan examined extracts from near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu, gathered by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security Regolith Explorer) spacecraft, and uncovered several bioessential sugars, such as ribose (an RNA sugar) and glucose (a metabolic substrate).

This mosaic image of asteroid Bennu consists of 12 images collected by OSIRIS-REx’s PolyCam instrument on December 2, 2018 from a range of 15 miles (24 km). Image credit: NASA / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / University of Arizona.

“The OSIRIS-REx mission successfully returned 121.6 g of regolith (unconsolidated granular material) from Bennu to Earth on September 24, 2023, under stringent conditions,” stated Yoshihiro Furukawa, a researcher at Tohoku University, along with his team.

“The samples were preserved in high-purity nitrogen at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.”

“Initial studies revealed that Bennu possesses mineralogical and elemental traits similar to carbonaceous chondrites, is enriched in carbon and nitrogen compared to most meteorites, but resembles ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites, and has undergone extensive aqueous alteration.”

“The analyzed samples from Bennu so far include soluble organic compounds like amino acids, amines, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, nucleobases, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and a diverse array of soluble molecules comprising carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.”

“We utilized this pristine asteroid material to investigate extraterrestrial bioessential sugars.”

The research team made a notable discovery of ribose, which contains five carbon atoms, and glucose, which has six, marking the first time these sugars have been identified in extraterrestrial samples.

While these sugars do not serve as direct evidence of life, their detection—along with previously identified amino acids, nucleobases, and carboxylic acids in Bennu samples—suggests that the fundamental building blocks of biomolecules were widely distributed throughout the solar system.

Furukawa et al. We discovered the essential sugars ribose and glucose in samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. Image credit: NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona / Dan Gallagher.

In Earth life, deoxyribose and ribose serve as critical components of DNA and RNA, respectively.

DNA is the primary vehicle for genetic information within cells. RNA, on the other hand, has various roles, and its presence is vital for life as we know it.

The ribose in RNA forms the sugar-phosphate “backbone” of the molecule, linking together nucleobases that carry genetic information.

“All five nucleobases that constitute DNA and RNA, along with phosphate, have already been identified in the Bennu samples brought back by OSIRIS-REx,” Dr. Furukawa noted.

“The recent discovery of ribose confirms that all elements required to form RNA molecules are present in Bennu.”

“Finding ribose in an asteroid sample is not unexpected.”

“Ribose has previously been found in two meteorites on Earth.”

“What’s significant about the Bennu sample is that researchers did not identify any deoxyribose.”

“If Bennu is indicative of conditions, it suggests that ribose may have been more abundant than deoxyribose in the early solar system environment.”

The researchers theorize that the detected ribose, along with the absence of deoxyribose, bolsters the RNA world hypothesis. This hypothesis posits that the first forms of life relied on RNA as the main molecule for storing information and facilitating the chemical reactions crucial for survival.

“Modern life relies on a complex system organized primarily by three types of functional biopolymers: DNA, RNA, and proteins,” Dr. Furukawa elaborated.

“However, early forms of life may have been simpler. RNA not only stores genetic information but can also catalyze numerous biological reactions, making it a strong candidate for the earliest functional biomacromolecule.”

“Bennu’s samples also contain glucose, a fundamental energy source for life on Earth, providing the first evidence that an essential energy source was present in the early solar system as well.”

a paper detailing these findings was published in this week’s edition of Nature Earth Science.

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Yuya Furukawa et al. Bioessential sugars found in samples from the asteroid Bennu. Nature Earth Science published online on December 2, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41561-025-01838-6

Source: www.sci.news

Asteroid Bennu Contains All the Essential Ingredients for Life as We Know It

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OSIRIS-REx sample

NASA/Erica Blumenfeld & Joseph Ebersold

Crucial components required for the emergence of life as we recognize it have been found in asteroid Bennu samples. This discovery suggests that Bennu might have transported the vital elements for life to Earth and potentially to other locations.

In 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission gathered samples from Bennu, an asteroid that travels hundreds of millions of kilometers through space, situated between Mars and Jupiter. The mission successfully returned these samples to Earth in 2023. Since then, the 121 grams collected have been distributed to laboratories worldwide for examination, enabling scientists to start identifying various biological compounds.

Preliminary investigations uncovered the existence of water, carbon, and several organic molecules. Subsequently, they identified amino acids, formaldehyde, and all five nucleobases found in RNA and DNA, along with phosphates. However, these findings do not suffice for constructing molecules that encode genetic information, as the crucial sugars—ribose for RNA and deoxyribose for DNA—were not detected in the initial analysis of the Bennu samples.

Recently, Yoshihiro Furukawa and his team from Tohoku University in Japan ground some of the sample and mixed it with acid and water. They then utilized gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to separate and identify the mixture’s components.

This process confirmed the presence of ribose, alongside other sugars like lyxose, xylose, arabinose, glucose, and galactose, but notably lacked deoxyribose.

“This is a groundbreaking find, showing that sugars exist in extraterrestrial materials,” Furukawa remarked, noting that nearly all life relies on glucose for metabolic processes.

“This is a significant achievement of the OSIRIS-REx mission,” says Sara Russell, from the Natural History Museum in London. Although not part of Furukawa’s team, she also works with Bennu samples. “Previously, the only component missing was sugar, which has now been identified, confirming that all essential elements of RNA were present in this primitive asteroid.”

Furukawa and his colleagues propose that Bennu’s parent asteroid generated sugars from saltwater rich in formaldehyde, suggesting the asteroid was saturated with liquid and exhibited numerous chemical reactions.

“Earlier this year, we reported salt findings in the returned samples, indicating that Bennu’s parent body likely housed a saltwater pool,” Russell stated. “Such conditions would provide an optimal environment for synthesizing the complex organic materials found in Bennu.”

Evidence of saline water on Saturn’s moon Enceladus and the dwarf planet Ceres points towards the possibility that fundamental life ingredients might be plentiful throughout the solar system, according to Russell.

Furukawa’s research includes prior discoveries of ribose and other sugars in meteorites, but he emphasized concerns about potential contamination once these compounds reached Earth. “The presence of these sugars in the Bennu sample affirms the legitimacy of these results,” he stated.

The new findings suggest that the asteroid could indeed have supplied all the requisite components for life to other celestial bodies within the solar system, including Earth and Mars, according to Furukawa. The discovery of ribose but not deoxyribose further supports the RNA world hypothesis concerning life’s origins.

This hypothesis posits that, well before the advent of cellular life or DNA-based organisms, Earth’s earliest life forms were RNA molecules capable of carrying genetic information and self-replication.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Webb’s Observations Indicate That Asteroids Bennu and Ryug Belong to the Polana Collision Family

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New Polana Collisional Family The primary asteroid belt in our solar system is the source of insights about nearby asteroids (101955) Bennu and (162173) Ryugu, which are the focus of NASA’s Osiris Rex missions. Currently, astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope are gathering spectroscopic data from the family progenitor, (142) Polana, and comparing it to laboratory data from both spacecraft and near-Earth asteroids, revealing near-infrared spectral similarities that lend support to the hypothesis that they originated from the same protoplanetary body.

This image of this asteroid was captured on June 26, 2018 by Jaxa’s Hayabusa-2 Spacecraft optical navigation camera – telescopic (ONC-T). Image credits: Jakusa / University of Tokyo / Kochi University / Ricchiho University / Nagoya University / Chiba University of Technology / Nishimura University / Aizu University / AIST.

“We hypothesize that in the early formation of our solar system, a significant asteroid collided and broke apart, creating the Polana and the ‘Asteroid Family,’ the largest remaining body,” stated Dr. Anisia Aredondo, a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute.

“This theory posits that the remnants of that collision led to the formation of not just Polana, but also Bennu and Ryugu.”

“To validate this theory, we began analyzing the spectra of all three entities and comparing them.”

The researchers used time on Webb to observe Polana with two different spectral instruments targeting near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths.

The data was then contrasted with spectral information from physical samples of Ryugu and Bennu collected by two distinct space missions.

“Bennu and Ryugu are categorized as near-Earth asteroids as they orbit the Sun within Mars’ orbit,” they noted.

“However, they pose no threat to our planet, with closest approaches of approximately 3 million km (1.9 million miles) and 1.6 million km (1 million miles), respectively.”

“Bennu and Ryugu are relatively small compared to Polana; Bennu measures about 500 m in diameter (0.3 miles), while Ryugu is twice as large, but both Polana and Ryugu measure about 55.3 km (34.4 miles) wide.”

“Scientists believe that Jupiter’s gravity caused Bennu and Ryugu to drift out of their orbit near Polana.”

“Given their similarities, I am confident all three asteroids share a common parent,” she added.

This mosaic image of the asteroid Bennu consists of 12 images collected on December 2, 2018 by a 15-mile (24 km) Polycam instrument at Osiris-Rex. Image credit: NASA/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Arizona.

The authors indicate that while spectral data from the asteroids exhibit variations and discrepancies, they do not sufficiently invalidate the hypothesis that they all have a shared origin.

“Polana, Bennu, and Ryugu have been traversing their respective paths through our solar system since the collision that may have formed them,” remarks Dr. Tracy Becker from the Southwest Research Institute.

“Bennu and Ryugu are now much closer to the Sun compared to Polana, resulting in their surfaces being more influenced by solar radiation and solar particles.”

“Additionally, Polana is likely older than Bennu and Ryugu, and as such, has been subjected to impact from micrometeorites over an extended period.”

“This could potentially alter the surface areas containing their elemental compositions.”

A study detailing the survey results has been published in the Journal of Planetary Science.

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Anisia Aredondo et al. 2025. Planet. Sci. J. 6, 195; doi:10.3847/psj/ade395

Source: www.sci.news

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