Ribose and glucose discovered on an asteroid

Analysis of dark material brought back from space revealed sugars. Nobody tasted it: laboratory equipment detected tiny quantities of the substances. Samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx contained molecules relevant to life, including ribose and glucose.

The study announced in December 2025 examined samples delivered to Earth in 2023. Ribose forms part of RNA's backbone; glucose plays a familiar role in metabolism. Their presence does not mean organisms lived in the material. NASA explicitly distinguishes these sugars from evidence of life.

Finding them is not a matter of spotting grains through a magnifying glass. Researchers extracted compounds and used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to distinguish them. They separated mixtures and compared molecular signals. The paper also describes checks using different equipment and separation conditions.

The material used for extraction weighed about 0.6 grams, not the entire returned collection. Even a small portion must be prepared and measured for the compounds being sought. The analytical conditions that separate the molecules matter more than the visible size of the rocks and dust.

Unlike meteorites left exposed to Earth's environment after falling, Bennu's material was collected in space and returned under controlled conditions. Researchers examine terrestrial contamination and effects of handling to assess where the molecules originated.

The analysis establishes that several molecules used by life on Earth also occur on this small asteroid. How such ingredients might contribute to the emergence of life remains a separate question.