NASA spacecraft finds basic ingredient of life in comet

William Atkins
Tuesday, 18 August 2009 18:30

Science - Space

The research by Dr. Elsila, Dr. Pilcher, and others was presented on Sunday, August 16, 2009, during the Fall National Meeting and Exposition (August 16-19, 2009) of the American Chemical Society, which was held in Washington, D.C.

Read additional information about the exciting and important discovery in the NASA article "NASA Researchers Make First Discovery of Life's Building Block in Comet."

The article quotes Dr. Donald E. Brownlee, the principal investigator on the Stardust mission. Brownlee says, "The discovery of amino acids in the returned comet sample is very exciting and profound.

He adds, "It is also a remarkable triumph that highlights the advancing capabilities of laboratory studies of primitive extraterrestrial materials."

The discovery is important because the discovery of an elementary building block of life supports the idea that life on Earth could have originated in outer space.

The discovery also lends credence to the concept that life in the universe is common.