The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Kyushu University jointly released a press release a few days ago. According to the analysis of the samples taken back from the asteroid "Dragon Palace" by the Falcon 2 probe, they found that there were about 20000 organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and other elements, some of which were essential amino acid molecules for life. The analysis results show that the substances extracted from the sample contain about 20000 organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and other elements. Further analysis by chromatography showed that there were amino acids, carboxylic acids, amines and aromatic hydrocarbons in these organic molecules. In particular, the presence of small volatile organic molecules such as methylamine and acetic acid shows that these molecules are stable in the form of salt on the surface of "Dragon Palace". The study found that among these amino acid molecules, there are both alanine, which constitutes the protein of life on the earth, and isovaline, which does not constitute the protein, and the left-handed and right-handed amino acid molecules account for about half each. The amino acid molecules that make up the proteins of life on earth are all left-handed. The communique said that the surface of the asteroid was exposed to a high vacuum environment, heated by the sun, irradiated by ultraviolet rays, and baptized by high-energy cosmic rays. This study shows that the organic molecules on the surface layer are protected by minerals and thus retained. Under some impact, the material containing these organic molecules will be stripped from the surface of the asteroid and transported to other celestial bodies in the solar system in the form of meteorites or cosmic dust. This achievement contributes to the study of the origin of life on Earth. There is a theory that the organic matter on the earth is brought by meteorites from space. Considering that the amino acid characteristics in the "Dragon Palace" sample are different from those on the earth, researchers believe that the scientific research community should also analyze samples from other asteroids in the future. The relevant papers were recently published in the American journal Science. (Xinhua News Agency)
Edit：He Chuanning Responsible editor：Su Suiyue
Source：Xinhua
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