Yahoo – AFP, May 27, 2016
Miami (AFP) - An important amino acid called glycine has been detected in a comet for the first time, supporting the theory that these cosmic bodies delivered the ingredients for life on Earth, researchers said Friday.
 |
| Glycine, an organic compound contained in proteins, was found in the cloud around Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the European Space Agency's probe, Rosetta (AFP Photo) |
Miami (AFP) - An important amino acid called glycine has been detected in a comet for the first time, supporting the theory that these cosmic bodies delivered the ingredients for life on Earth, researchers said Friday.
Glycine, an
organic compound contained in proteins, was found in the cloud around Comet
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the European Space Agency's probe, Rosetta, said
the study in the journal Science Advances.
The
discovery was made using an instrument on the probe, called the Rosetta Orbiter
Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) mass spectrometer.
"This
is the first unambiguous detection of glycine in the thin atmosphere of a
comet," said lead author Kathrin Altwegg, principal investigator of the
ROSINA instrument at the Center of Space and Habitability of the University of
Bern.
In addition
to the simple amino acid glycine, the instrument also found phosphorus. The two
are key components of DNA and cell membranes.
Glycine has
been detected in the clouds around comets before, but in previous cases
scientists could not rule out the possibility of Earthly contamination.
This time,
however, they could, because the mass spectrometer directly detected the
glycine, and there was no need for a chemical sample preparation that could
have introduced contamination.
"The
multitude of organic molecules already identified by ROSINA, now joined by the
exciting confirmation of fundamental ingredients like glycine and phosphorus, confirms
our idea that comets have the potential to deliver key molecules for prebiotic
chemistry," said Matt Taylor, Rosetta project scientist of the European
Space Agency ESA.
"Demonstrating
that comets are reservoirs of primitive material in the Solar System, and
vessels that could have transported these vital ingredients to Earth, is one of
the key goals of the Rosetta mission, and we are delighted with this
result."
Scientists
have long debated the question of whether comets and asteroids brought the components
of life to Earth by smashing into oceans on our planet.
More than
one hundred molecules have been detected on comets and in their dust and gas
clouds, including many amino acids.
Previous
data from Rosetta has shown that water on Comet 67P/C-G is significantly
different from water on Earth, suggesting that comets did not play as big a
role in delivering water as once thought.
However,
the latest finding shows "they certainly had the potential to deliver
life's ingredients," said a statement by the University of Bern.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment