Life on Earth is likely to have originated from meteorites

Murchison meteorite christie’s

Using state-of-the-art chemical analysis techniques, researchers from Hokkaido University (Japan) have now demonstrated all the basic radicals needed to form DNA and RNA, the two molecular bases of genetics, can be found in the meteorite small drops to the earth’s surface from distant space.

The most basic compounds of genetic material are not representative of extraterrestrial life, but are instead the result of chemical interactions taking place on the planets. small planet during space travel. When an asteroid hits the Earth’s atmosphere and hits the ground, it can create one or more meteors, depending on its initial size.

When they fall to Earth, meteorites can carry these compounds and contribute to the emergence of genetic material necessary for the earliest life on Earth.

A team of experts from Hokkaido University said they discovered the compounds while analyzing three meteorites that crashed to Earth in the years 1950, 1969 and 2000.

These meteorites are named respectively Murchison, Murray and Lake Tagish. In particular, the Murchison meteorite fell on Australian territory in 1969, while the Murray meteorite was found in Kentucky (USA) in 1950. The Lake Tagish meteorite was discovered in British Columbia (Canada) in the year. 2000.

However, until now it is not clear how many base transplants from meteorites are needed to create the environment that allows the oldest life to form on our planet.