Scientists make the first discovery of life ingredients on an asteroid

A team of researchers studied four asteroids using sensitive instruments and, for the first time, detected key molecules that are needed for life to exist.

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The research was recently published in The Planetary Science Journal and details an analysis conducted on four silicate-rich asteroids. These asteroids were analyzed by the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which was a telescope equipped with a plane that was operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center.

SOFIA's Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST) instrument provided data on the four asteroids, and researchers found evidence of the presence of water molecules on the surface of two of the space rocks. It should be noted that water molecules have previously been detected in asteroid samples that have been returned to Earth, but this is the first time scientists have detected the presence of water on the surface of an asteroid currently in space.

"Asteroids are leftovers from the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula. Of particular interest is the distribution of water on asteroids, because that can shed light on how water was delivered to Earth," said study lead author Anicia Arredondo of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio

"We detected a feature that is unambiguously attributed to molecular water on the asteroids Iris and Massalia. We based our research on the success of the team that found molecular water on the sunlit surface of the moon. We thought we could use SOFIA to find this spectral signature on other bodies," added Arredondo