New study says select 'life’s ingredients' found on asteroids likely formed in deep cold space

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Ryugu asteroid and Murchison meteorite. They found that certain are PAHs "likely to be formed in the cold areas of space between stars, rather than in hot regions near stars as was previously thought", Curtin University said in a report.

Scientists from Curtin's WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC) conducted the study in a controlled environment. ALSO READ: Earth had close shave with over 100 Vatican City, Burj Khalifa-sized asteroids in 2023: NASA's top targets unveiled PAHs are organic compounds made up of carbon and hydrogen that are common on Earth but are also found in celestial bodies like asteroids and meteorites, said ARC Laureate Fellow John Curtin Distinguished Professor Kliti Grice, director of WA-OIGC.

Initial analysis revealed that Asteroid Ryugu has "a rich complement of organic molecules". "The discovery adds support to the idea that organic material from space contributed to the inventory of chemical components necessary for life," the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)said.

NASA explains that organic molecules are the building blocks of all known forms of terrestrial life and consist of a wide variety of compounds made of carbon combined with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and other atoms. However, NASA added that organic molecules can also be made by chemical reactions that don’t involve life, supporting the hypothesis that chemical reactions in asteroids can make some of life’s ingredients.

Now, because of their carbon content, PAHs are also pretty much some of the building blocks of life, Space.com reported. "This is further evidence that PAHs may be able to form at cold temperatures, and therefore that life could be fostered in such frigid conditions," the