It’s Alive!
Posted: August 18th, 2009 | Author: Javi | Filed under: Science & Technology | Tags: amino acid, DNA, existence of life, glycine, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, RNA, Stardust, Wild 2 comet | No Comments »
The key to life has been discovered in a comet, according to scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. New research suggests that the amino acid glycine, which is an important biological molecule that helps build proteins and other key components of DNA and RNA, found inside the comet Wild 2 is an essential component for the existence of life on Earth.
“This is the first time an amino acid has been found in a comet. Our discovery supports the theory that some of life’s ingredients formed in space and were delivered to Earth long ago by meteorite and comet impacts,” lead researcher Jamie Elsila said of the discovery.
Scientists have long believed that the fundamental properties needed for the existence of living organisms derive from space. Samples of Wild 2’s glycine were gathered by NASA’s spacecraft Stardust in 2004 and were the parachuted back to Earth in 2006. Since then, researchers have been analyzing the samples for life forming properties, as well as learning the secrets of comet formation and solar system’s history.
