Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
LiveScience
LiveScience
Ben Turner

Asteroid Bennu contains the 'seeds of life,' OSIRIS-REx samples reveal

An artist's illustration of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft poised to land on the asteroid Bennu.

Scientists have discovered the essential building blocks to life on a sample from a distant asteroid.

The sample, which the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected from the asteroid Bennu and returned to Earth in 2023, contains all five nucleobases — the "letters" that make up DNA and RNA — alongside mineral compounds, all of which have never previously been seen on extraterrestrial rocks.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.