Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Physical Chemistry

Rosetta mission detects biological building blocks on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Discovery of glycine and phosphorus advances theory that comets could have played a role in seeding life on Earth

by Sarah Everts
May 30, 2016 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 94, Issue 22

[+]Enlarge
Credit: ESA
Researchers have measured glycine on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, adding support to the idea that comets could have helped kick-start life on Earth.
Image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Credit: ESA
Researchers have measured glycine on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, adding support to the idea that comets could have helped kick-start life on Earth.

Data from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission reveal that the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is home to glycine and phosphorus, two biological building blocks important for the origin of life. The work follows the prior discovery of organic molecules on 67P, including methyl isocyanate, acetone, propanal, and acetamide. In total, the findings support the theory that comet impacts may have played a crucial role in seeding life on our planet, notes the University of Bern’s Kathrin Altwegg, who led the research team (Sci. Adv. 2016, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600285). Glycine was detected on several occasions by a mass spectrometer called ROSINA on the Rosetta probe as it orbited and approached the comet for landing in 2014. The team believes the measured glycine was released from dust grains in 67P’s coma, the hazy envelope that surrounds a comet. Although glycine was previously found in a sample taken from the Wild 2 comet, that sample had some contamination issues, leaving glycine’s cometary origin to be inferred by carbon isotope ratios. With 67P, Rosetta measured the amino acid’s presence at the comet directly, avoiding possible contamination issues back on Earth.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.