Rosetta spacecraft finds prebiotic chemicals on comet
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029858
New Scientist : The simplest amino acid, glycine, has been found in the dust of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Discovered by the Rosetta spacecraft, which has been orbiting the comet since 2014, the amino acid represents proof that comets delivered to Earth at least some of the ingredients for life. Furthermore, glycine was not the only prebiotic chemical the spacecraft found in the gas cloud surrounding the comet: Also detected were alcohols, sugars, oxygen compounds, and the scent of phosphorus, which is necessary for cellular processes. The prebiotic molecules probably form on comets when stellar radiation heats simpler chemicals; once formed, the molecules then get trapped in the comet’s icy surface. Rosetta continues to look for further evidence of life-forming ingredients, such as nucleotides.
