Study: The foundations of life on Earth may have come from space | Science and Technology | The latest discoveries and studies from DW Arabic

A team led by scientists from Hokkaido University in Japan has discovered organic compounds that may form the backbone of the DNA and RNA molecules common to all life as we know it.

Using new and highly sensitive analysis techniques for these meteorites, the researchers analyzed three of them that were rich in carbon: the Murchison meteorite that fell in Australia in 1969, the Murray meteorite that fell in Kentucky in 1950, and the Lake Tagish meteorite that fell to Earth in 2000, and landed in Colombia British.

“We detected a variety of pyrimidine-type nucleic acid bases and their structural analogues (the building blocks of nucleic acids that assemble together to form long chains of genetic information) from an extract obtained from the Murchison meteorite,” the team wrote in the paper.

It is known that the backbone of DNA and RNA “consists of a chain of sugars added to it phosphorous. live.

Astronomers believe that meteorites and asteroids were present in the early stages of the formation of the solar system or even before that, and that their content of carbon materials and nucleic acid bases had appeared in them through photochemical reactions between different materials orbiting in space

The scientists added in the study published in the journal Nature Communications that experiments that simulated how the contents of space materials reached Earth and spread, suggested the existence of many nucleic acid bases outside the planet, and that these organic compounds already exist not only in extraterrestrial environments, but It may also exist outside the solar system.

The authors of the study suggest that during the period when the planet was bombarded with huge quantities of meteorites in the early period of the planet’s life, i.e. approximately 4 to 3.8 billion years ago, it is possible that these basic materials arrived with these meteorites, “Therefore, the flow of such Organic matter may have played an important role in the chemical evolution of the early Earth,” the study says.

Scientists are waiting for more information and details that the space mission will send OSIRIS-REx Which collects samples from the famous asteroids Ryugu and Bennu, which are also believed to contain carbon compounds. The samples will allow researchers to determine the accuracy and seriousness of the idea that the first building blocks of life arrived on Earth through meteorites.

Emad Hassan

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
Another Earth-like planet
The European Southern Observatory has discovered a third Earth-like planet orbiting the star closest to the solar system to Earth known as “Proxima Centauri” and located four light years from our solar system. Scientists attributed it to being similar to Earth to the availability of conditions that might make life possible in theory, such as temperature and gravity on its surface and atmosphere with the possibility of water.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
The Great Telescope Discovers “Proxima D”
Astronomers have discovered the planet “Proxima D” thanks to the Great Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in the Chilean desert. The newly discovered planet is the lightest of the three planets orbiting the closest star to our solar system. Scientists from the European Observatory have discovered the largest of the three planets, Proxima b, using the High Resolution Planet Search Tool (HARPS).

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
The Kepler spacecraft has a planet-hunting telescope
The discovery of Earth-like planets was not limited to the use of telescopes on Earth, but also telescopes roaming in space contributed to the matter. For example, the Kepler spacecraft has been searching for Earth-like planets since 2009. For planets to be Earth-like, they must have rocks or minerals and a solid surface, unlike gas giants in our solar system such as Jupiter or Saturn.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
Too far away
The planet “Kepler 186f” is located outside the solar system, 500 light-years from Earth and orbits its red star, “Kepler 186”. This tiny sun has only about 4% of the sun’s energy in our solar system. This planet revolves around its star at a fully calibrated distance, so the water on its surface does not freeze or evaporate, which is a prerequisite for assuming life on its surface, but it has not yet been decided whether there is water on its surface or not.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
Just graphics, not exact photos
There are no accurate pictures of planets outside our solar system around us, as it is only pictures and so-called “artistic representations” such as the image of the planet “Kepler 186f”, while there is no picture yet of another planet recently discovered, “Kepler 438b”, which orbits around a star Similar to the Sun, about 470 light-years from Earth, discovered by NASA in 2014.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
Planets covered by oceans
This image shows the planet “Kepler 62e” surrounded by an ocean. Scientists agree that Earth-like planets outside our solar system likely have large oceans. This planet is found in the Lyra or Lyra constellation, which is 1,200 light-years away from Earth.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
Kepler 62e brothers
The planet “Kepler 62e” is not alone, it has brothers such as the planet “Kepler 62f”, which is 1.4 times more in diameter than the diameter of the Earth and is located in its solar system a little far from its older brother “Kepler 62e”, which is 1.61 more than the size of the Earth Once. Scientists believe that both are suitable for life due to the possibility of the presence of rocks and water.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
Planet revolving around two suns
Although the planet “Kepler 16b” is located on the outskirts of a potentially habitable area, life cannot exist on it because it revolves around two suns in the morning and evening, which makes its inhabitants able to watch two sunrises and two sunsets, so scientists believe that this planet is gaseous, which makes Life on its surface is impossible for organisms that need to breathe fresh air.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
The Hubble Space Telescope discovers more
The “Pillars of Creation” are located in the Eagle Nebula, also known as “Messier 16”, located about 7,000 light-years away and were captured by the European Space Agency and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in what is believed to contain a group of emerging and bright stars, including solar systems. .

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
bright lights
This image shows a lot of haze but also colors as the radiation emitted by bright stars penetrates the dust and gas in the columns. Images taken by the Hubble telescope helped researchers monitor changes in formation over long periods of time.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
star generator
NGC 4102 contains a feature called a low-ionization nuclear emission line region nucleus, or ‘liner’, which means that it emits ionizing radiation as about a third of all galaxies. In the middle, the sun explodes, where emerging stars are born, with a diameter of about 1,000 light-years. And scientists failed to understand the exact processes that occur in the area of the explosion.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
The group or constellation of Hercules
This group of stars is located in the northern part of the constellation Hercules and is called “Messier 92”. On dark nights, the constellation Hercules can be seen from Earth, especially if the sky is clear. It contains about 330,000 stars, mostly made of hydrogen and helium. Heavier elements such as metals are rare.

In pictures… Earth-like planets swim in the vast universe
Best shot of the Andromeda Galaxy
The original image of this image of the Andromeda galaxy has a size of 1.5 billion pixels. This is the most detailed image ever taken of the galaxy, which contains 100 million stars and thousands of star clusters. And to watch it in all its beauty, one needs 600 HD TV screens. The beginning and end of the image are separated by 40,000 light years. Prepared by: Fabian Schmidt / M. p/p