NASA just found life's building blocks on an asteroid

Technology Dec 06, 2025

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission brought back bits of asteroid Bennu, and scientists just confirmed they contain key ingredients for life—including sugars like ribose and glucose, never seen beyond Earth before.

What's inside these space rocks?

Turns out, Bennu's samples are packed with all five DNA and RNA bases, amino acids, and other organic molecules.
Scientists even discovered a new gum-like material never seen before in space rocks—it might have helped gather these life-friendly chemicals together in space.

Why does this matter?

Finding all the pieces needed to make RNA on one asteroid backs up the idea that asteroids could have delivered the stuff life needs to early Earth.
Basically, these building blocks might be scattered all over our solar system—which is pretty wild to think about!