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Space

Freeze-thaw cycle helps asteroids ferry molecules of life to planets

Cracks running through samples of asteroid Ryugu were probably formed by the repeated thawing and freezing of water inside it, which could have helped asteroids like this carry the building blocks of life to early Earth

By Matthew Sparkes

1 October 2024

Illustration of asteroids with geysers

Illustration of asteroids with geysers

Matthew Genge

The thawing and freezing of ice within asteroids causes fractures to form inside these space rocks, allowing water to spread through them. This helps them carry key molecules that could have provided ingredients for the formation of life on Earth.

How our golden age of asteroid exploration could reveal life's origins

How our golden age of asteroid exploration could reveal life's origins

What did NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to sample Bennu discover? Mission leader Dante Lauretta says the asteroid could hold clues about how life began

Matt Genge at Imperial College London and his colleagues analysed a small portion of the 5.4 grams of material …

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