Samples from the asteroid, named Bennu, were delivered to Earth by NASA\u2019S OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in September 2023, per NASA<\/a>. Scientists have since made \u201cremarkable\u201d discoveries while studying the sample.<\/p>\n The scientists published their findings in three recent papers, according to an article<\/a> on the NASA website.\u00a0Specifically, the asteroid contains \u201csugars that are essential for [living organisms], a gum-like substance not seen before in astromaterials and an unexpectedly high abundance of dust produced by supernova explosions,\u201d per NASA.<\/p>\n And why are these findings significant?<\/p>\n NASA\/Goddard\/University of Arizona<\/p>\n Artistic visualization of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft descending toward asteroid Bennu to collect a sample<\/p>\n In one of the studies, published in the journal Nature Geoscience<\/a>, Professor Yoshihiro Furukawa of Tohoku University explained that while the sugars are not evidence of life in the universe, their detection \u2014 along with several other previously detected materials in Bennu samples \u2014 prove that building blocks of biological molecules were present throughout the solar system, per the study.<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n The study\u2019s findings also indicate that the sugar ribose, which is one of the building blocks for RNA, may have been more widespread in the early solar system than deoxyribose, a building block of DNA<\/a>. This goes to support what is called the \u201cRNA world\u201d hypothesis, which posits that the first forms of life relied on RNA for survival.<\/p>\n NASA\/Goddard\/University of Arizona<\/p>\n Asteroid Bennu<\/p>\n A second study published in the journal Nature Astronomy<\/a> \u2014 led by researchers at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center and the University of California, Berkeley \u2014 found that Bennu additionally contains an ancient \u201cgum-like” material that has never been previously found on any space rock<\/a>, per NASA.<\/p>\n The material is rich in nitrogen and oxygen, and researchers say the gum could have potentially helped trigger life on Earth \u2014\u00a0as well as may help scientists study whether life exists beyond our planet.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n A third study also published in Nature Astronomy<\/a> \u2014\u00a0led by Ann Nguyen of NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston \u2014\u00a0found that the Bennu sample contained more stardust particles than expected. This helps provide clues about the environment in which the asteroid was originally formed.<\/p>\n![\"NASA\/Goddard\/University](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3ebcf989f73a5a254ffe1b1d1d6d9782.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"NASA\/Goddard\/University](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0440f42d3df72ce6f92b77411be88f48.jpeg\"\/)
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