An Important Discovery Reveals Where Nitrogen, Crucial for the Emergence of Life, Came to Earth From

A significant research study supporting the claim that nitrogen, crucial in the formation of life, arrived on Earth through asteroids has been conducted. A research team in Japan found evidence of nitrogen in samples brought from the Ryugu asteroid. Details below. 👇

An international research team, led by Japan’s Kyoto University, made a critical discovery to determine the origin of nitrogen in the formation of life on Earth.

The research indicates that small meteorites, fragments from icy celestial bodies in the outer regions of the Solar System, might have carried nitrogen to our planet in the early stages of Earth’s formation.

Hope Ishii, a researcher, suggests that the findings indicate a higher quantity of nitrogen was brought to Earth than previously thought, potentially serving as the fundamental building blocks for life.

This conclusion was drawn from the analysis of samples brought to Earth from the Ryugu asteroid by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft.

The samples revealed the presence of biological molecules such as an RNA component, B3 vitamins, amino acids, amines, and carboxylic acids.

Scientists examining the samples through an electron microscope also detected minerals containing iron and nitrogen on the surface of rock particles.

Although it has long been assumed that these building blocks came to our planet through impacting meteorites, robust evidence on this matter was lacking.

The study’s lead author, Toru Matsumoto, explains that micrometeorites containing ammonia compounds separated from icy celestial bodies, collided with Ryugu, triggering chemical reactions on the iron-coated surface, resulting in the formation of iron nitrate.