Amino acids found on comet

[RevOxley]

From Reuters

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The amino acid glycine, a fundamental building block of proteins, has been found in a comet for the first time, bolstering the theory that raw ingredients of life arrived on Earth from outer space, scientists said on Monday.

Microscopic traces of glycine were discovered in a sample of particles retrieved from the tail of comet Wild 2 by the NASA spacecraft Stardust deep in the solar system some 242 million miles (390 million km) from Earth, in January 2004.

Samples of gas and dust collected on a small dish lined with a super-fluffy material called aerogel were returned to Earth two years later in a canister that detached from the spacecraft and landed by parachute in the Utah desert.

Comets like Wild 2, named for astronomer Paul Wild (pronounced Vild), are believed to contain well-preserved grains of material dating from the dawn of the solar system billions of years ago, and thus clues to the formation of the sun and planets.

The initial detection of glycine, the most common of 20 amino acids in proteins on Earth, was reported last year, but it took time for scientists to confirm that the compound in question was extraterrestrial in origin.

"We couldn't be sure it wasn't from the manufacturing or the handling of the spacecraft," said astrobiologist Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the principal author of the latest research.

The rest of the article is HERE


thought this might interest some of you eggheads. Abiogenesis is a common creationist argument...this kinda smashes it in the balls

[dry land fish]

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From Reuters

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The amino acid glycine, a fundamental building block of proteins, has been found in a comet for the first time, bolstering the theory that raw ingredients of life arrived on Earth from outer space, scientists said on Monday.

Microscopic traces of glycine were discovered in a sample of particles retrieved from the tail of comet Wild 2 by the NASA spacecraft Stardust deep in the solar system some 242 million miles (390 million km) from Earth, in January 2004.

Samples of gas and dust collected on a small dish lined with a super-fluffy material called aerogel were returned to Earth two years later in a canister that detached from the spacecraft and landed by parachute in the Utah desert.

Comets like Wild 2, named for astronomer Paul Wild (pronounced Vild), are believed to contain well-preserved grains of material dating from the dawn of the solar system billions of years ago, and thus clues to the formation of the sun and planets.

The initial detection of glycine, the most common of 20 amino acids in proteins on Earth, was reported last year, but it took time for scientists to confirm that the compound in question was extraterrestrial in origin.

"We couldn't be sure it wasn't from the manufacturing or the handling of the spacecraft," said astrobiologist Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the principal author of the latest research.

The rest of the article is HERE


thought this might interest some of you eggheads. Abiogenesis is a common creationist argument...this kinda smashes it in the balls

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Maybe those scientologists are right.

[Eilonnwy]

That's pretty awesome.

[Tiberius]

Yup. Suddenly the Panspermia theory seems a bit more realistic.

[Edwardo Piet]

Which, if correct - would make us all aliens! And therefore - none of us aliens, lol (because there would be nothing to compare us against otherwise, lol).

EvF

[Darwinian]

It's been theorised for years but to actually find some out there is great

[Minimalist]

Maybe those scientologists are right.

Scientologists are nuts.

[Retorth]

Scientologists are nuts.

Yeah agreed. People can think up the craziest of things.

[Minimalist]

Scientologists are nuts.

Yeah agreed. People can think up the craziest of things.

Sure. Just look at xtianity for an even better example.

[leo-rcc]

Yup. Suddenly the Panspermia theory seems a bit more realistic.

Even with low to no oxygen levels in the atmosphere there is still gas that is being pushed out of the way by the comet at incredible speeds causing friction. Wouldn't the Amino acids get heated up due to the friction of the comet plummeting to Earth therefore rendering them useless?