#uracil — Public Fediverse posts

Organic #molecules delivered from #extraterrestrial materials may have played a key role in supplying building blocks for #life on #Earth.

Now scientists report all five canonical #nucleobases—purines (#adenine and #guanine) and pyrimidines (#cytosine, #thymine and #uracil)—in samples returned from the C-type #asteroid (162173) #Ryugu.

Samples from Ryugu, #Bennu and #Orgueil, which have a similar mineralogy and elemental composition, show purine-to-pyrimidine ratios negatively correlating with #ammonia.

These observations indicate that the nucleobases in these samples may have formed via a shared pathway depending on the physicochemical environment of the respective parent bodies.

The detection of diverse nucleobases in asteroid and meteorite materials demonstrates their widespread presence throughout the Solar System and reinforces the hypothesis that carbonaceous asteroids contributed to the #prebiotic chemical inventory of early Earth.

#astronomy #astrobiology
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02791-z

Die #Biologie-#Leistungskurs-Tochter gerade ganz entgeistert zu mir: "Du weißt nicht, was #Uracil ist!?!?"

Jetzt weiß ich es. Und ich weiß auch wieder, warum _ich_ keinen Bio-LK genommen habe.

❛❛ #adenine #guanine #cytosine #thymine & #uracil … necessary to build #DNA & #RNA … traces of important organic compounds like xanthine, hypoxanthine, & nicotinic acid (#vitamin B3).
In addition to suggesting that life could exist elsewhere in the #universe, the #molecules found on Bennu raise provocative questions about the #origins of #life on #Earth. ❜❜

#Bennu #asteroid was discovered in 1999 & sampled in 2020.

🔗 https://www.Salon.com/2025/01/30/building-blocks-of-life-discovered-on-asteroid-bennu/ 2025 Jan 30
🔗 https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/101955_Bennu

#Kronodon

Genetic precursor and vitamin B3 found in Ryugu asteroid

#Uracil #niacin #asteroids #biology #ExtraterrestrialLife #Ryugu #Hyabusa2

https://hesgen.substack.com/p/genetic-precursor-and-vitamin-b3

#Uracil in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) #Ryugu | Nature Communications
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36904-3
"Here we report the detection of uracil, one of the four nucleobases in ribonucleic acid, in aqueous extracts from Ryugu samples. In addition, nicotinic acid (niacin, a B3 vitamer), its derivatives, and imidazoles were detected in search for nitrogen heterocyclic molecules."

This is an important step in detecting life and also it's origins in the universe.
#Science #Astrobiology #Hayabusa2

A crucial building block of life exists on the asteroid Ryugu

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/building-block-life-asteroid-ryugu

#ScienceNews #asteroids #Ryugu #uracil #astronomy #planetaryScience

Regarding the #uracil detection in #asteroid #Ryugu there are also a press release at https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/uracil-found-in-ryugu-samples/ and articles e.g. at https://theconversation.com/new-asteroid-sample-study-offers-further-hints-of-space-origin-for-the-building-blocks-of-life-on-earth-201960 and https://www.sciencenews.org/article/building-block-life-asteroid-ryugu and https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/asteroid-analysis-reveals-prebiotic-compounds/ and https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/asteroid-discovery-suggests-ingredients-life-earth-came-space-2023-03-21/

Samples of #asteroid #Ryugu collected by #Hayabusa2 had #uracil, one of the informational units that make up #RNA, the molecules that contain the instructions for how to build and operate living organisms. Vitamin #B3 or #niacin, which is an important cofactor for #metabolism in living organisms, was also detected in the same samples
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-rna-molecule-uracil-asteroid-ryugu.html

Uracil in the carbonaceous #asteroid (162173) Ryugu: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36904-3 - the "initial analysis team for the soluble #organic matter reported the detection of wide variety of organic molecules including racemic amino acids in the Ryugu samples. Here we report the detection of #uracil, one of the four #nucleobases in ribonucleic acid, in aqueous extracts from #Ryugu samples."

Samples from the #asteroid #Ryugu collected by the Hayabusa2 mission contain #nitrogenous #organic compounds, including the #nucleobase #uracil, which is a part of #RNA.
#Chemistry #Biology #SpaceScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2023/03/chm03212301.html