For the first time … the discovery of water on the surface of an asteroid (photos) – Erm News

For the first time, researchers found water on the surface of an asteroid, after planetary scientists at Royal Holloway University in London examined a sample of the asteroid “Itokawa” collected by the Agency Japanese Aerospace Exploration (JAXA) as part of its first mission in 2010.

Researchers found water and organic material in the sample, believed to have originated from the asteroid itself and which was not transmitted to it due to a collision with another celestial body. , which indicates that it has evolved chemically over billions of years, according to the British Journal “Daily Mail”.

This is the first time that such materials have been discovered on the surface of an asteroid, a major discovery that could lead to rewrite the history of life on planet Earth.

Principal investigator Dr Queenie Chan said: “Although organic matter does not directly indicate the existence of life on the asteroid, it does tell us that the asteroid contains the same raw materials that provided primary intermediates for the emergence of life on Earth. . “

Researchers have shown that the “S” asteroids, which make up most meteorites that come to Earth, such as the asteroid “Aitokawa”, contain the raw ingredients of life, pointing out that the asteroid “Aitokawa” has continuously evolved over it. billions of years and merges water and organic matter, just as happened in the field.

The researchers pointed out that “the presence of these organic materials and water means that if these asteroids had been exposed to favorable conditions, as happened early on Earth, life would have formed on them.”