X-Ray Analysis of Asteroid Ryugu Sheds Light on Solar System’s Ancient History

Imagine unlocking the secrets of the past, not with a time capsule, but through an asteroid. This is precisely what researchers achieved using the Advanced Light Source (ALS), a Department of Energy (DOE) facility. The team studied samples from asteroid Ryugu, collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, to explore the origins of life on Earth.
Asteroids like Ryugu, rich in carbon and water, serve as cosmic time capsules, preserving the building blocks of life. The ALS’s powerful X-rays allowed scientists to identify and analyze these ancient materials, revealing that Ryugu’s organic compounds likely formed through chemical reactions with water on its parent body.
This groundbreaking research not only deepens our understanding of the solar system’s history but also links Ryugu’s organic matter to similar compounds found in meteorites, offering clues to the conditions that made Earth habitable.

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