Scientists detect first glycine and phosphorus comet

Elements were found by the Rosetta probe, which follows the comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Discovery reinforces the theory that celestial bodies transported ingredients for the origin of life on Earth.


Glycine and phosphorus were detected in the cloud of gas and dust that surrounds 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Scientists first detected an important amino acid and phosphorus in a comet, a study released on Friday (27/05). The discovery reinforces the theory that these celestial bodies transported some of the key ingredients for the origin of life on Earth.

Glycine, a component of protein, was discovered in the atmosphere of the comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the space probe Rosetta. The amino acid and phosphorus, essential for DNA and cells were detected in a cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the celestial body.

The presence of elements in the 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko "reinforce the idea that comets delivered the key molecules for prebiotic chemistry in the Solar System and, in particular, on Earth," said the study published in the journal Science Advances.

The researchers said further that the addition of a large concentration of these molecules in a body of water would have produced the "primordial soup" that gave life to the Earth for over 4 billion years.

"It is the first, and unambiguous, glycine detection in the thin atmosphere of a comet," said lead author of the research, the scientist Kathrin Altwegg of the University of Bern, Switzerland.

The amino acid had been detected indirectly in samples of another comet, Wild 2 in 2006. However, the samples were shown to be contaminated, making it difficult to scientific analysis. "The existence of glycine in a comet shows that more or Wild 2 and 67P are exceptions," said Altwegg.
Origin of life

The discovery indicates that glycine is a common element in the regions of the universe where stars and planets form. "Meteorites and comets now prove that the Earth was bombarded with many important biomolecules", said astronomer Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington.

The Rosetta mission, which began in 2004, was the first to explore the surface of a comet and aims to decipher some mysteries about the origin of the solar system.

"Demonstrating that comets are reservoirs of primitive material in the solar system and that can be transported vital ingredients to Earth is one of the Rosetta mission objectives. We are pleased with this result," said the scientist Matt Taylor, the European Space Agency (ESA ).

The Rosetta spacecraft traveled more than 6 billion kilometers traversing the solar system before entering the orbit of 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014. Before that, the spacecraft had orbited the Earth and Mars and used the gravitational pull of planets to reach the comet.

Rosetta will end its mission in September, when to clash with the Churyumov-Gerasimenko.