Rosetta, the European Space Agency's cometary probe with NASA contributions, is seen in an undated artist's rendering Reuters
"Amino acids are everywhere, and life could possibly also start in many places in the universe," Altwegg added.
She and her colleagues also found phosphorus – a key element in all living organisms – and other organic molecules in the dust around comet 67P. This was the first time phosphorus was found around a comet. Scientists have long debated the circumstances surrounding the origin of life on Earth billions of years ago, including the hypothesis that comets and asteroids carrying organic molecules crashed into Earth’s oceans early in its history.
"Meteorites and now comets prove that Earth has been seeded with many critical bio-molecules over its entire history," said University of Washington astronomer Donald Brownlee, who led NASA’s Stardust comet sample return mission. Scientists plan to use Rosetta in order to look for other complex organic compounds around the same comet.
"You need more than amino acids to form a living cell," Altwegg said. "It's the multitude of molecules which make up the ingredients for life." Rosetta is expected to end its two-year mission at 67P by flying very close to the comet, and then crash-land onto its surface this September.
67P is in an elliptical orbit that loops around the sun between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Earth. The comet is heading back out toward Jupiter after having reached its closest approach to the sun last August.For the first time, scientists have made direct discoveries of organic compounds on a comet, reinforcing the belief that celestial objects delivered such chemical building blocks of life long ago to Earth and throughout the solar system.
The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft made several discoveries of the amino acid glycine, which living organisms use to make proteins, in the cloud of gas and dust surrounding Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, scientists told Reuters on May 27.
Before, glycine had been indirectly discovered in samples returned to Earth in 2006 from another comet, Wild 2. But the samples, which landed in a Utah state desert in the US, were found to be contaminated, thus complicating the scientific analysis.
"Having found glycine in more than one comet shows that neither Wild 2 nor 67P are exceptions," said Rosetta scientist Kathrin Altwegg of the University of Bern in Switzerland, leader of the team who published the research in the journal “Science Advances.”
The discovery implies glycine is a common ingredient in regions of the universe where stars and planets have formed, Altwegg said.
Rosetta, the European Space Agency's cometary probe with NASA contributions, is seen in an undated artist's rendering Reuters
"Amino acids are everywhere, and life could possibly also start in many places in the universe," Altwegg added.
She and her colleagues also found phosphorus – a key element in all living organisms – and other organic molecules in the dust around comet 67P. This was the first time phosphorus was found around a comet. Scientists have long debated the circumstances surrounding the origin of life on Earth billions of years ago, including the hypothesis that comets and asteroids carrying organic molecules crashed into Earth’s oceans early in its history.
"Meteorites and now comets prove that Earth has been seeded with many critical bio-molecules over its entire history," said University of Washington astronomer Donald Brownlee, who led NASA’s Stardust comet sample return mission. Scientists plan to use Rosetta in order to look for other complex organic compounds around the same comet.
"You need more than amino acids to form a living cell," Altwegg said. "It's the multitude of molecules which make up the ingredients for life." Rosetta is expected to end its two-year mission at 67P by flying very close to the comet, and then crash-land onto its surface this September.
67P is in an elliptical orbit that loops around the sun between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Earth. The comet is heading back out toward Jupiter after having reached its closest approach to the sun last August.
Rosetta, the European Space Agency's cometary probe with NASA contributions, is seen in an undated artist's rendering Reuters
"Amino acids are everywhere, and life could possibly also start in many places in the universe," Altwegg added.
She and her colleagues also found phosphorus – a key element in all living organisms – and other organic molecules in the dust around comet 67P. This was the first time phosphorus was found around a comet. Scientists have long debated the circumstances surrounding the origin of life on Earth billions of years ago, including the hypothesis that comets and asteroids carrying organic molecules crashed into Earth’s oceans early in its history.
"Meteorites and now comets prove that Earth has been seeded with many critical bio-molecules over its entire history," said University of Washington astronomer Donald Brownlee, who led NASA’s Stardust comet sample return mission. Scientists plan to use Rosetta in order to look for other complex organic compounds around the same comet.
"You need more than amino acids to form a living cell," Altwegg said. "It's the multitude of molecules which make up the ingredients for life." Rosetta is expected to end its two-year mission at 67P by flying very close to the comet, and then crash-land onto its surface this September.
67P is in an elliptical orbit that loops around the sun between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Earth. The comet is heading back out toward Jupiter after having reached its closest approach to the sun last August.