SMRTR Science & EngineeringFeb 9, 2026Interesting Engineering

Radioactive space can host building blocks of life, asteroid Bennu samples reveal

SMRTR summary

Penn State scientists analyzing 4.6-billion-year-old samples from asteroid Bennu discovered that amino acids, life's essential building blocks, can form in frozen, radioactive environments rather than requiring warm liquid water as previously believed. This groundbreaking finding suggests the universe may be far more capable of creating life's ingredients than scientists imagined.

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