In an extraordinary milestone for astrochemistry and early Earth history, researchers analyzing pristine material returned from asteroid Ryugu have successfully discovered all five essential genetic nucleobases required for DNA and RNA. The historic discovery confirms that the complete molecular toolkit for life existed in space billions of years ago, well before our planet fully formed. Geochemists believe these delicate cosmic building blocks were actively delivered to ancient Earth via intense meteorite bombardments, effectively jump-starting the evolutionary processes in our early oceans.
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