Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Biogeochemistry Research Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan.
Science. 2023 Feb 24;379(6634):eabn9033. doi: 10.1126/science.abn9033.
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft collected samples from the surface of the carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu and brought them to Earth. The samples were expected to contain organic molecules, which record processes that occurred in the early Solar System. We analyzed organic molecules extracted from the Ryugu surface samples. We identified a variety of molecules containing the atoms CHNOS, formed by methylation, hydration, hydroxylation, and sulfurization reactions. Amino acids, aliphatic amines, carboxylic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrogen-heterocyclic compounds were detected, which had properties consistent with an abiotic origin. These compounds likely arose from an aqueous reaction on Ryugu's parent body and are similar to the organics in Ivuna-type meteorites. These molecules can survive on the surfaces of asteroids and be transported throughout the Solar System.
隼鸟 2 号航天器从碳质近地小行星（162173）龙宫的表面采集了样本并带回地球。这些样本预计含有记录早期太阳系发生过程的有机分子。我们分析了从龙宫表面样本中提取的有机分子。我们鉴定了多种含有 CHNOS 原子的分子，这些分子是通过甲基化、水合、羟化和硫化反应形成的。检测到了氨基酸、脂肪族胺、羧酸、多环芳烃和含氮杂环化合物，这些化合物具有非生物起源的特性。这些化合物可能是在龙宫母体上的水反应中产生的，与 Ivuna 型陨石中的有机物相似。这些分子可以在小行星表面存活，并在整个太阳系中运输。
