An asteroid sample contains all the key components for life on Earth

Life on Earth may have origins from far, far away. Scientists have found a full set of life-building molecules in a nearly pristine asteroid sample. The discovery suggests that the necessary ingredients to kick-start the evolution of life on Earth may have come from a celestial-body delivery. It also raises questions as to whether more complex molecules are present all over the solar system.

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Asteroid Ryugu has all five of the primary nucleobases, according to a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy.