Asteroid Bennu comes from a long-lost salty world with ingredients for life
Two research publications by the OSIRIS-REx sample analysis team suggest that conditions for the emergence of life were widespread across the early solar system.
OSIRIS-REx
New leadership, interstellar discoveries, dogs to the rescue: Top 10 U of A stories of 2024
From canine companionship to intergalactic intrigue, U of A research, scholarship and expertise generated news around the world in 2024.
OSIRIS-REx, 1 year later: Asteroid sample continues to provide clues about early solar system and origins of life on Earth
U of A Regents Professor Dante Lauretta says he is "amazed by the discoveries we've made" since the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered an asteroid sample to Earth last year.
Bennu holds the solar system's 'original ingredients,' might have been part of a wet world
OSIRIS-REx sample scientists took a deep dive into the rocks and dust returned from asteroid Bennu. They found that the sample is rich in carbon, nitrogen and organic compounds – essential components for life as we know it.