Get the latest Science News and Discoveries

NASA’s asteroid Bennu sample reveals a hidden chemical patchwork

Scientists studying Bennu samples have discovered that its chemistry is far from uniform. Organic compounds and minerals cluster into three distinct types of regions, each shaped differently by past water activity. This uneven pattern shows that water altered the asteroid in a complex, localized way. The survival of delicate organic molecules adds an important clue to how life’s building blocks may persist in space.

None

Get the Android app