Discovery of Organic Matter on Asteroid Ryugu Suggests Ancient Comets as Potential ‘Seeds of Life’ for Earth

Recent analysis of samples retrieved from asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission unveils compelling evidence that organic molecules crucial to the formation of life on Earth may have originated from ancient comets. Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid studied by Hayabusa2 in 2018, exposed its surface directly to space, accumulating interplanetary dust upon impact. Researchers, examining 5 to 20-micrometer-wide “melt splashes” caused by cometary dust striking Ryugu, identified small carbonaceous materials similar to primitive organic matter within these formations. The findings suggest that cometary matter transported from the outer solar system to the near-Earth region may have delivered the building blocks of life to our planet. The team, led by Tohoku University Graduate School of Science assistant professor Megumi Matsumoto, believes that further examination of Hayabusa2 samples could provide more insights into the transport of primordial organic material to Earth’s vicinity over 4 billion years ago, preceding the emergence of life.