The materials that formed life on Earth were first found on an asteroid

Researchers said they found water and organic matter on the surface of an asteroid sample from

inner solar system. This is the first time that organic materials that could help give rise to life on Earth were found on a space object.

The sample was sent to Earth from the asteroid Itokawa induring the first Hayabus mission in 2010. Experiments have shown that water and organic matter originating from the asteroid itself have chemically evolved over time.

Research work shows that Itokawacontinually evolved over billions of years through the emergence of water and organic materials from alien extraterrestrial material, just like the Earth. In the past, the asteroid has experienced extreme heating, dehydration and destruction as a result of catastrophic impacts.

Astronomers first spotted a comet in the company of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids

This study shows that S-type asteroidscontain the raw ingredients of life. The analysis of this asteroid is changing the traditional understanding of the origin of life on Earth, which was previously largely focused on carbon-rich C-type asteroids.

“These discoveries are truly exciting as they reveal the intricate details of the asteroid's history and how its evolutionary path is so similar to that of the prebiotic Earth,” the scientists noted.

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