Scientists announced that glucose, which is considered one of the building blocks of life, was found in samples of the Bennu asteroid brought back to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2023.

NASA announced that the sugars Ribose and Glucose necessary for life have been detected. Ribose is found in the structure of RNA molecules, which form the first fundamental basis of life. Glucose, the main fuel of modern life, has been detected for the first time in an asteroid. NASA believes that all the components necessary for life may be found in our solar system.

The team found ribose, the fundamental building block of RNA, and glucose, which is used as an energy source by almost all living beings on Earth, in the asteroid. Scientists stated that these sugars are not direct evidence of life but indicate that biologically critical chemicals were widely available in the early period of the Solar System.

Thanks to the direct collection and sealing of the samples in space, they reached the laboratory on Earth without contamination. The finding of glucose in an extraterrestrial sample for the first time drew attention. In a second study announced on the same day, researchers detected a polymer-like substance in the samples that had never been seen on any space rock before. This substance, described as 'space gum', is said to consist of complex molecular chains that were soft and flexible at one time but hardened over time. According to scientists, this structure could be one of the chemical precursors of life. The third study revealed that Bennu contains six times more ancient stardust than all known space materials.