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Study Reports Tryptophan in Bennu Sample, Bringing Amino Acid Tally to 15

Researchers describe a promising preliminary result, with pristine samples limiting contamination concerns.

A container holding rocks and dust from asteroid Bennu.
These images, taken by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s PolyCam camera in 2018, show four views of asteroid Bennu along with a global mosaic.
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that took the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft into space, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on September 8, 2016.
A mosaic of Bennu created from observations made by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which was in close proximity to the asteroid for over two years.

Overview

  • A peer-reviewed PNAS study analyzing about 50 milligrams of Bennu material reports a confident yet not conclusive detection of the essential amino acid tryptophan.
  • The finding would raise the count of protein-building amino acids identified in Bennu to 15 of the 20 used by life on Earth.
  • Tryptophan, a relatively complex amino acid, has not previously been detected in meteorites or other extraterrestrial samples.
  • Scientists say direct return by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which collected 121.6 grams in 2020 and delivered the cache in 2023, preserved fragile organics that meteorites often lose during atmospheric entry.
  • The result bolsters evidence that asteroids supplied prebiotic ingredients to early Earth, and teams plan further tests to corroborate the tryptophan signal as outside experts judge contamination unlikely.