Khoa học

Did humanity survive from a meteorite that fell to Earth?

Did humanity survive from a meteorite that fell to Earth?  - Photo 1.

Model of the meteorite Murchison on display – Photo: TELEGRAPH

Experts have long debated how Earth – one of the trillions of planets created in the 14 billion years of the universe’s existence – could harbor life.

A new study suggests that the core materials that make up DNA were transported to Earth from space via a meteorite about 3.5 billion years ago. At that time the Earth was still in its infancy and was nothing more than a fiery hell.

During this time, the Earth was continuously flattened by meteors and comets, due to the chaotic Solar System in its formation phase. There is at least one meteorite impacting Earth carrying constituent parts of DNA.

This study by Japanese scientists was published in the journal Nature Communications. After analyzing three new meteorites using modern methods, scientists discovered the presence of all four main components of DNA. This proves that the necessary pieces for life are indeed found in space.

A team of Japanese researchers, led by Hokkaido University, obtained two samples of the Murchison meteorite that landed in Australia in 1969 and one from the Lake Murray and Tagish meteors, which landed in the US in 1950, respectively. and Canada in 2000.

They are ground into a fine powder and analyzed by equipment capable of detecting molecules at the parts per trillion scale.

A total of more than 30 chemicals have been identified, including four that are important components of DNA: adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine.

Scientists say it is possible that these basic ingredients were accumulated by a meteorite and landed on Earth before life began.

This study demonstrates the variety of nucleobases (the components that make up RNA and DNA) of meteorites that could have served as the building blocks of DNA and RNA on early Earth.

DNA is responsible for storing and transferring genetic information, while RNA directly encodes amino acids and acts as a messenger between DNA and ribosomes to make proteins.

The double helix of DNA is one of the most famous chemicals in the world and it underlies all forms of life.

You are reading the article Did humanity survive from a meteorite that fell to Earth?
at Blogtuan.info – Source: tuoitre.vn – Read the original article here

Back to top button