ArticleNature astronomy2025
Nitrogen- and oxygen-rich organic material indicative of polymerization in pre-aqueous cryochemistry on Bennu's parent body.
Article in Nature astronomy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Gradual Destruction of Refractory Stardust in Alkali Brines on Asteroid Bennu.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Impact-processed nitrogen-bearing organics in Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 lunar regolith.Science advances · 2026Article
- Nanoscale infrared spectroscopy reveals complex organic-mineral assemblages in asteroid Bennu.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Ionic Liquid Biospheres.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Nitrogen-containing organic compounds play key biological roles, and their identification in primitive astromaterials such as meteorites can shed light on the origin of life. However, meteorites are typically contaminated by uncontrolled exposure to Earth. Here we show that pristine samples returned from asteroid Bennu contain polymeric organics exceptionally rich in nitrogen and oxygen. These polymers contain a variety of functional groups including amines, amides, N-heterocycles, and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, among others. They are seen in a carbonaceous vein with mineral inclusions and in multilayered organic sheets. Their morphology and composition indicate formation from pre-aqueous N-rich precursors and later modification during aqueous alteration. These findings demonstrate that asteroids like Bennu contain complex nitrogen-rich organic phases formed by pre-aqueous and aqueous processes, and they expand the known inventory of potential prebiotic extraterrestrial compounds.
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