June 1, 2016

The comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko photographed on March 25, 2015, one of the moments of the organic molecules detections (Photo ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0)

An article published in the journal “Science Advances” describes the discovery of ingredients that are considered key to the origin of life on Earth on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In particular, glycine, an amino acid found in proteins, and phosphorus, an element that forms DNA and cell membranes. These observations were made by the ROSINA instrument aboard ESA’s Rosetta space probe.