Prebiotic Molecules

How did JAXA’s Ryugu samples end up with DNA’s five letters?

New analyses of Hayabusa2 material show asteroid samples contain genetic building blocks — all five canonical nucleobases — but key gaps remain before we can say space made life. Mar 28, 2026

Space

Microbes Can 'Planet‑Hop' on Asteroids

A Johns Hopkins experiment shows hardy microbes can survive the shock of asteroid ejection and much of the transit to another world, strengthening the lithopanspermia idea and rai… Mar 06, 2026

Space

Sugars From Space: Bennu’s Recipe for Life

Scientists report ribose and glucose in pristine samples from asteroid Bennu, along with salts, phosphates and amino acids — findings that sharpen theories about how life’s ingred… Feb 06, 2026

Space

James Webb Detects Complex Organic Molecules in Ices Beyond the Milky Way

Observations with JWST’s MIRI instrument reveal multiple complex organic molecules embedded in ice around a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud, marking the first solid-state … Nov 15, 2025

Articles about Prebiotic Molecules

How did JAXA’s Ryugu samples end up with DNA’s five letters?

Microbes Can 'Planet‑Hop' on Asteroids

Sugars From Space: Bennu’s Recipe for Life

James Webb Detects Complex Organic Molecules in Ices Beyond the Milky Way