NASA Finds Tryptophan, a Life-Related Molecule, on Asteroid Bennu

Tryptophan Turns Up on Asteroid

Tryptophan, the amino acid often linked to post-turkey-dinner drowsiness, has been discovered on the asteroid Bennu, according to a new study. NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission collected a sample from Bennu in 2020, and it was returned to Earth in 2023 for analysis. The asteroid is of particular interest to scientists because...

Asteroid Bennu May Hold Clues On How Life Began As NASA Detects Tryptophan

One of the exciting discoveries is tryptophan, an amino acid never before seen in meteorites.

Scientists find evidence that an asteroid contains tryptophan

By Jacopo Prisco, CNN (CNN) — Tryptophan, the essential amino acid behind the Thanksgiving myth that eating turkey can make you sleepy, has been found to exist on Bennu, a small asteroid that swings by our planet about every six years. The discovery stems from an unprecedented sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which landed a spacecraft on the asteroid in 2020, captured 4.3 ounces (121.6 grams) of rocks and dust, and safely returned …

Scientists find evidence that an asteroid contains tryptophan | News Channel 3-12

By Jacopo Prisco, CNN (CNN) — Tryptophan, the essential amino acid behind the Thanksgiving myth that eating turkey can make you sleepy, has been found to exist on Bennu, a small asteroid that swings by our planet about every six years. The discovery stems from an unprecedented sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which landed a spacecraft on the asteroid in 2020, captured 4.3 ounces (121.6 grams) of rocks and dust, and safely returned …

Scientists find evidence that an asteroid contains tryptophan

By Jacopo Prisco, CNN (CNN) — Tryptophan, the essential amino acid behind the Thanksgiving myth that eating turkey can make you sleepy, has been