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The researchers found amino acids in other space rocks, but not at such high concentration. Perhaps most surprisingly, Asuka 12236 contains more left-handed versions of certain amino acids. While there are right-handed and left-handed versions of each amino acid, life as we know it only uses left-handed amino acids to build proteins.
Researchers want to know why there was an imbalance with left-handed amino acids and what types of spatial conditions could have led to it. They believe Asuka 12236 was exposed to very little heat or water – two important clues.
Meteorite research in Antarctica / Daniel Glavin
By studying different meteorites, scientists can create a timeline of changing space conditions to better understand the evolution of amino acids and life as we know it. This is another reason why Asuka 12236 is so precious. NASA astrobiologists believe it may have formed before our own solar system.
While Asuka 12236’s findings are interesting, researchers are eager to study more samples of space rocks. In October, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will collect a sample from the asteroid Bennu and bring a sealed sample of earth and rocks back to Earth. Researchers will also look for amino acids in this sample.
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