In an important scientific breakthrough, powdery fragments of an ancient space rock were sampled from asteroid Bennu and brought back to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx, a NASA spacecraft, on September 4, 2023. These fragments have yielded fascinating results. The spacecraft traveled seven billion kilometers before dropping the capsule containing the samples in Utah, United States. Early analysis of the samples shows that they contain a rich supply of amino acids, including many of the same ones found in the proteins that make up all life on Earth.
The findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature Astronomy (Volume 9, 2025, pp. 199–210), in a paper titled “Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu. The primary authors of this article are Daniel Galvin and Jason Dworkin, with contributions from a diverse team of international co-authors.
Laboratory analysis has revealed the presence of at least 14 of the 20 amino acids essential to life on Earth within the material sourced from the asteroid. These amino acids, such as glycine, alanine, and valine, are fundamental components of biological systems, playing critical roles in structures ranging from muscle and skin to vital processes like heartbeat and brain function.
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A story about where we all come from
Amino acids are often called the building blocks of life. They combine in specific ways to form proteins, which are essential for every living cell. Proteins carry out almost all of life’s vital functions, acting as enzymes, hormones, structural tissues, and even the machinery of our immune systems. What’s remarkable is that these amino acids were not made on Earth.
They were collected directly from the surface of Bennu, sealed in a sterile container in space, and brought back without ever being exposed to Earth’s contamination. That means scientists now have a pure sample of organic chemistry as it existed billions of years ago, before Earth had oceans or life.
This is not just a story of space science. It is a story about where we come from, a story that belongs to everyone, from bustling cities to remote villages.
Along with amino acids, the Bennu samples contain ammonia and thousands of nitrogen-rich organic molecules, including the nucleobases that make up DNA and RNA, adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil. These are the very letters of life’s genetic code. Their presence suggests that the seeds of life didn’t form only on Earth, they were likely born in cold, dark regions of the Solar System, where icy conditions allowed complex molecules to form and survive.
The authors of the paper believe that Bennu’s parent body may have originated beyond Jupiter, where ammonia and water ice are stable. Over time, chemical reactions in these cold regions may have assembled the ingredients of life, later delivering them to Earth via asteroids like Bennu.
The Origins of Life: A Story That Includes Us All, and Perhaps the Hand of God?
This discovery supports a powerful idea: life’s ingredients may have been delivered to Earth from space. It helps answer one of the oldest human questions: How did life begin?
If Bennu, a single asteroid, contains such a wide variety of life-essential molecules, then surely many other space rocks carry similar building blocks. That means the chemistry of life is likely common across the cosmos.
For communities like many in Ethiopia, where science can feel distant, this is a reminder that the story of life includes all of us. The same chemistry that shaped our bodies. Our muscles, our thoughts, our children, may have begun in the stars.
No matter where you live, this story touches you. It connects a farmer in Ethiopia, a student in Bangladesh, a mother in Ghana, or a teacher in Bolivia to the vast history of the universe. Even if we live far from the high-tech labs of NASA, discoveries like this speak to us all.
They tell us that we may be made of stardust, not as a metaphor, but as a fact. The very molecules that gave rise to life may have traveled across space and time, on ancient rocks like Bennu, before arriving on Earth to begin the story of us. Life, it turns out, may not be a miracle unique to our planet.
It may be a natural outcome of the stars, waiting to bloom wherever conditions are just right.
And yet, the spark that turned lifeless molecules into living beings remains a mystery.
Some might call it chemistry, others evolution. But for many, it may also feel like the quiet trace of something greater: the breath of a divine force, the hand of God.
However, we are living in a time of major budget cuts for space science and engineering. I sincerely hope that the work to unlock Bennu’s secrets will continue, and that we will slowly unravel the mystery of life, here on Earth, and perhaps elsewhere in the universe.
A Call to African and Particularly Ethiopian Students: Prepare to Lead in Space Science
If you’re a student in Africa driven by a passion for the stars and the origins of life, your path toward groundbreaking discovery is already being charted. The two NASA scientists, Glavin and Dworkin, serve as inspiring examples. Both of whom I know personally, as they were in the same NASA division I was associate director of. Glavin began with a background in physics and Earth sciences; Dworkin trained in biochemistry under the well-known Professor Stanley Miller. Today, both lead international efforts to analyze samples from asteroids, Mars, and beyond.
Their success reflects a powerful truth: tomorrow’s leaders in astrochemistry, astrobiology, the search for the origins of life, or scientific research more broadly will be those who blend multiple disciplines, from chemistry and biology to planetary science and data analytics. As Africa expands its role in global space science, students who start now can be at the forefront of future missions that study samples from extraterrestrial bodies like the Moon, Mars, and asteroids.
Thanks to free online courses (MOOCs) on platforms like Coursera, edX, and FutureLearn, students across Africa can begin building this multidisciplinary foundation today, no matter where they live. Many local universities may already offer similar courses. With persistence and preparation, your journey can start in a local classroom and lead to a PhD in a relevant field, and eventually to analyzing the chemistry of life from another world.
Finally, to access asteroid Bennu samples, scientists must submit a strong research proposal to NASA explaining their scientific goals, methods, and sample handling plans, usually through partnerships or formal programs like Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES). African researchers can apply directly if eligible or collaborate with US-based institutions and must commit to publishing results and returning unused material under NASA’s strict guidelines.
Let your curiosity guide you, you may be one of Africa’s next generations of planetary scientists!
Brook Lakew (PhD) is a research Scientist at the University of Maryland Senior Fellow @ NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the Magazine. The writer can be reached at: [email protected].
