Bennu asteroid analysis suggests unexpected origins for organics in space

A team of researchers, including those from Penn State, analyzed amino acids from samples of Bennu asteroid and Murchison meteorite to determine their origins. The study found that the isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen in the amino acids from Bennu and Murchison were different, suggesting that the molecules formed in different parts of the solar system. The researchers used a new technique to measure the isotopes in the molecules, revealing that the carbon in the beta-alanine molecule in Bennu was enriched in neutrons compared to the other two carbons in the same molecule. This difference is the highest ever recorded in an organic molecule from space, highlighting the extreme variation in carbon isotopes in the samples. The study suggests that the molecules may have formed in different environments in the solar system, broadening our understanding of the conditions under which prebiotic compounds could have formed.

• The study measured isotopic ratios in beta-alanine from Bennu and Murchison samples.
• The carbon isotopic averages in the two samples were very close, but the intramolecular carbon isotopes differed significantly.
• The enriched carbon in Bennu was the highest isotope anomaly ever recorded in an organic molecule from space.
• The difference in isotope values suggests that the molecules formed in different parts of the solar system.
• The study provides insight into how space environments and processes might affect molecular isotopic signatures.

This research has implications for understanding the origins of life on Earth and the role of space chemistry in the development of prebiotic compounds. The findings highlight the importance of isotopic analysis in determining the formation environments of organic molecules and suggest that the molecules in question may have formed in different locations in the solar system. The study also underscores the value of using isotopic measurements to explore the history of organic compounds in space.

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