Chemical analysis suggests meteorites carried nitrogen to prebiotic Earth

BBC : Nitrogen is the fourth most abundant element in the universe, the most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere, and an essential ingredient in proteins, DNA, and other biomolecules. But getting nitrogen into the right chemical form to give rise to life is chemically tricky. Now, Sandra Pizzarello of Arizona State University and her colleagues have found a possible answer. By using hot, pressurized water, Pizzarello was able to dissolve and subsequently analyze an otherwise insoluble organic component of a meteorite found in Antarctica. Among the molecules they found was ammonia. Unlike N ₂, ammonia readily participates in organic chemistry. Pizzarello speculates that meteorites could have brought ammonia to prebiotic Earth, thereby giving life the chemical impetus needed to get going. The team reported their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.