Bio-Essential Sugars Discovered in Samples from Asteroid Bennu
NASA scientist and OSIRIS-REx Co-Investigator Daniel Glavin discusses the discovery of ribose and glucose in samples of asteroid Bennu, and the implications for the formation and evolution of life on Earth.
Complete transcript available.
Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel.
How did the molecular building blocks of life arrive at early Earth? To find out, NASA sent a spacecraft called OSIRIS-REx to collect samples from the carbon-rich asteroid Bennu. Now, a team of Japanese and US scientists have discovered the bio-essential sugars ribose and glucose within the Bennu samples. RNA uses ribose for its structure. Glucose provides cells with energy and is used to make fibers like cellulose, a structural component of cell walls. This finding builds on the earlier discovery of nucleobases (the genetic components of DNA and RNA), phosphate (a structural component of DNA and RNA), and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) in the Bennu samples, showing that the molecular ingredients of life could have been delivered to early Earth by meteorites.
GRAPHIC – A team of Japanese and US scientists have discovered the bio-essential sugars ribose and glucose in samples of asteroid Bennu that were collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Dan Gallagher
GRAPHIC – VERSION WITHOUT EXPLANATORY TEXT
NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Dan Gallagher
GRAPHIC – VERTICAL VERSION
NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Dan Gallagher
GRAPHIC – VERTICAL VERSION WITHOUT EXPLANATORY TEXT
NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Dan Gallagher
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Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
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Scientists
- Daniel Glavin (NASA/GSFC)
- Yoshihiro Furukawa (Tohoku University)
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Producer
- Dan Gallagher (eMITS)
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Videographers
- John D. Philyaw (eMITS)
- Rob Andreoli (eMITS)
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Graphic designer
- Dan Gallagher (eMITS)
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Public affairs
- Tahira Allen (NCS)
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Support
- Kathryn Mersmann (NASA/GSFC)
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Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (eMITS)
Missions
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This page can be found in the following series:Related
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Produced Video
Release date
This page was originally published on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
This page was last updated on Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at 7:59 AM EST.