Science ❯ Astrobiology

Origins of Life

Prebiotic Chemistry Extraterrestrial Life Organic Molecules Extraterrestrial Materials Chemical Building Blocks Conditions for Life Extraterrestrial Chemistry Chemical Evolution Extraterrestrial Water Water on Earth

OSIRIS-REx Sample Shows Bennu’s Water Flowed in Channels, Preserving Fragile Organics

A PNAS study using 20-nanometer spectroscopy links sharp chemical zones to narrow fluid paths that governed which molecules survived.

Earth Formed Entirely from Inner Solar System Material, Study Finds

Hayabusa2’s Ryugu Samples Confirm All Five DNA/RNA Bases, Pointing to Space-Born Formation Clues

Ryugu Samples Contain All Five DNA and RNA Bases, Peer-Reviewed Study Finds

SPHEREx Detects Late Outburst From Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, Revealing Organic Molecules

Bennu Samples Show Amino Acids Likely Formed in Icy, Radioactive Environments

Apollo Soil Study Finds Meteorites Supplied Only a Small Share of Earth’s Water

Largest Sulfur-Bearing Molecule Yet Found in Space Detected in Starless Cloud

Lab Study Shows Peptides Can Form on Icy Space Dust Under Cosmic-Ray Conditions

NASA’s SPHEREx Releases First Full-Sky Infrared Map in 102 Colors

Hubble and ESA’s Juice Capture Clearer Views of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Ahead of Dec. 19 Flyby

Perseverance Confirms 55 Tiny Electrical Sparks in Martian Dust Storms and Devils

ALMA Spots Methanol-Rich Chemistry in Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS

XRISM Pinpoints Chlorine and Potassium Surplus in Cassiopeia A, Challenging Supernova Models

Ribose and First Extraterrestrial Glucose Confirmed in Bennu, Along With Gum-Like Organic and Rare Stardust

Bennu Samples Reveal Bio-Essential Sugars, 'Space Gum' and Supernova Dust in New Studies

OSIRIS-REx Study Reports Tryptophan Signal in Pristine Bennu Sample

Bennu Samples Reveal Six Sugars, Including First Extraterrestrial Glucose

Study Reports Tryptophan in Bennu Sample, Bringing Amino Acid Tally to 15

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Briefly Rewired a Deep Aquifer’s Chemistry and Microbes