In search of water on asteroids, did life on Earth begin from space?

In the study, published in the journal Science, the team of scientists found droplets of carbonated water containing salt and organic matter in the rocky asteroid called Ryugu.

This discovery reinforces the theory that asteroids such as Ryugu or its larger parent asteroid are capable of “delivering water, which contains salt and organic matter in the event of a collision with Earth,” said Tomoki Nakamura, a Tohoku scientist. University.).

“These water droplets have great significance,” Nakamura said.

“Many researchers believe the water was brought (from outer space) but we actually found water on Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid, for the first time,” he continued.

Previously, the dust and rock from asteroid Ryugu had been collected by a drone belonging to the Japanese Space Exploration Agency called Hayabusa-2.

These results suggest that water is able to survive on asteroids.

“The fact that water was found in the sample itself is surprising given its fragility and possible disintegration in space,” explains astrobiologist and professor emeritus of Yokohama National University, Kensei Kobayashi.

“This suggests that the asteroid contains water – in liquid form and not just ice – and the organic matter may have been generated in that water,” he continued.

Now the asteroid’s dust and rock samples are being shared among a team of scientists from Japan, the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and China to maximize the chances of new discoveries.

Journalist Intern: Theofilus Jose Setiawan

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