Washington : Life, after all, could well have originated in space, at least in theory. Scientists have detected the building blocks of DNA in meteorites since the 1960s, but were unsure whether they were created in space or resulted from the contamination by terrestrial life. But now, NASA-funded researchers have found more evidence that meteorites can carry DNA components created in space. The latest research has indicated that certain nucleobases - the building blocks of our genetic material - reach the Earth on meteorites in greater diversity and quantity than previously thought. The discovery has added to a growing body of evidence that the chemistry inside asteroids and comets is capable of making building blocks of essential biological molecules. In the new work, scientists analyzed samples of 12 carbon-rich meteorites, nine of which were recovered from Antarctica. The team found adenine and guanine, which are components of DNA nucleobases. Source: Hindustan Times. Image: https://www.flickr.com
