Their project, funded by NASA and conducted at the Experimental Impact Laboratory at Johnson Space Center, exposed GLA samples to impact pressures between 4.5 and 25 gigapascals-at the low end, forces far greater than the deepest ocean water pressures, or that of a piano dropped from hundreds of miles above the Earth. Albion's team discovered that GLA, a sugar important in the chemistry leading to ribose, can retain its integrity under such intense pressures.
"Experiments that simulate impacts have shown time and time again that biomolecules found on comets, asteroids, and meteorites are not completely destroyed," says Zellner. "The fact that GLA can remain intact under these kinds of pressures provides another piece of the puzzle in our understanding of how biomolecules survived impact delivery to an early Earth."
In addition to the GLA remaining unchanged throughout such intense conditions, McCaffrey noted that several new molecules were seen after impact and that some of these could have important biological implications.
Zellner notes that the Albion work predates recent observations by astronomers, who reported that GLA is present on several comets. These findings support the Albion team's assertion that GLA was likely dispersed throughout the solar system - and onto Earth - via comet impacts.
The project findings, says Zellner, add an important piece to the picture of how life began.
"Everybody assumed GLA was a starting molecule for ribose or amino acids, but little consideration was given as to its source," Zellner says. "We're showing what the source of that molecule could be."
Research Report: "Cometary Glycolaldehyde as a Source of Pre-RNA Molecules"
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, is Copyright 1995-2026 Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principles for news reporting and research purposes. |
