Asteroid Bennu's Sample Delivers Another Surprise

Researchers compared the samples from asteroid Bennu with the Murchison meteorite and measured the amino acid β-alanine in both. Using new techniques, they were able to measure not only their isotopic compositions, but isotopic differences between individual atoms in the same molecule. The results show that some of the same pre-cursors to life formed in different conditions and positions in the protoplanetary disk.