More than 20 types of amino acids have been detected in samples Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe brought to Earth from an asteroid in late 2020, an official said Monday.

The acids discovered are very important substances for living things and could hold clues to understanding the origins of life, the education ministry official said.

In December 2020, a capsule that had been carried on a six-year mission by Hayabusa2 delivered more than 5.4 grams of surface material to Earth from the Ryugu asteroid, located over 300 million kilometers away.

The probe of Ryugu was aimed at unraveling the mysteries of the origin of the solar system and life. Previous analysis of the samples had suggested the presence of water and organic matter.

The full-fledged investigation of the sample was launched in 2021 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and research institutions nationwide including the University of Tokyo and Hiroshima University.

Amino acids are substances that make proteins and are indispensable for life. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH