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This gum-like product– never ever seen before in area– was most likely formed in the early days of the Solar System, as Bennu’s moms and dad asteroid warmed. As soon as soft and versatile, however given that solidified, the ancient ‘area gum’ includes polymer-like products very abundant in nitrogen and oxygen. Such complex particles might have supplied a few of the chemical precursors that assisted activate life in the world, and discovering them in the beautiful samples from Bennu is essential for researchers studying how life started and whether it exists beyond our world.
Electron microscopy of a particle from the sample from Bennu. Image credit: Sandford et aldoi: 10.1038/ s41550-025-02694-5.
Bennu’s ancestral asteroid formed from products in the Solar Nebula– the turning cloud of gas and dust that triggered the Solar System– and included a range of minerals and ices.
As the asteroid started to warm, due to natural radiation, a substance called carbamate formed through a procedure including ammonia and co2.
Carbamate is water soluble, however it endured enough time to polymerize, responding with itself and other particles to form bigger and more complicated chains invulnerable to water.
This recommends that it formed before the moms and dad body warmed enough to end up being a watery environment.
“With this odd compound, we’re looking at, rather potentially, one of the earliest modifications of products that took place in this rock,” stated Dr. Scott Sandford, a scientist at NASA’s Ames Research.
“On this primitive asteroid that formed in the early days of the Solar System, we’re taking a look at occasions near the start of the start.”
In the research study, the authors analyzed the qualities of Bennu’s gum-like product.
As the information emerged, the proof recommended the compound had actually been transferred in layers on grains of ice and minerals present in the asteroid.
It was likewise versatile– a flexible product, comparable to utilized gum and even a soft plastic.
Throughout their work with the samples, the scientists discovered the odd product was bendy and dimpled when pressure was used.
The things was clear, and direct exposure to radiation made it fragile, like a yard chair left a lot of seasons in the Sun.
“Looking at its chemical makeup, we see the very same sort of chemical groups that take place in polyurethane in the world, making this product from Bennu something comparable to a ‘area plastic’,” Dr. Sandford stated.
“The ancient asteroid things isn’t just polyurethane, however, which is an organized polymer.”
“This one has more random, mishmash connections and a structure of components that varies from particle to particle.”
The group’s findings were released December 2, 2025 in the journal Nature Astronomy
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S.A. Sandford et alNitrogen- and oxygen-rich natural product a sign of polymerization in pre-aqueous cryochemistry on Bennu’s moms and dad body. Nat Astronreleased online December 2, 2025; doi: 10.1038/ s41550-025-02694-5
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