Sugars, Stardust and 'Space Gum': New Clues From Bennu Samples About Life's Ingredients

New Findings From Bennu: Sugars, Presolar Dust and a Mysterious Polymer

Scientists studying pristine material returned from the carbon-rich near-Earth asteroid Bennu report several remarkable discoveries that deepen our understanding of the chemical ingredients available in the early solar system. Analyses described in three papers published Dec. 2 in Nature Geosciences and Nature Astronomy identify biologically relevant sugars, unusually abundant presolar stardust, and a previously unseen gum-like polymer in the samples.

What the Teams Found

Sugars: A research team in Japan detected the sugar ribose — a key component of RNA — and, for the first time in Bennu material, glucose. The sugar deoxyribose, which is required for DNA, was not detected in these analyses. Scientists emphasize these results do not show life, but they indicate that building blocks relevant to biology were present in the early solar system.

Presolar Grains: Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center identified microscopic presolar grains — dust particles that predate the Sun — some with isotopic signatures consistent with formation in ancient supernovae. The abundance and character of this stardust help constrain where Bennu’s parent body accreted within the solar nebula and the protoplanetary disk.

‘Space Gum’ — A New Polymer: A California-based team discovered a pliable, gum-like substance not previously seen in returned meteorite samples. NASA likened the material to used gum or soft plastic. This polymer-like material is rich in nitrogen and oxygen and likely formed as Bennu’s parent asteroid warmed and accreted in the young solar nebula. Researchers suggest such nitrogen‑ and oxygen‑rich organics could have contributed to the prebiotic chemistry that led to life on Earth.

NASA: "Finding them in the pristine samples from Bennu is important for scientists studying how life began and whether it exists beyond our planet."

Mission Context

OSIRIS‑REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security‑Regolith Explorer) launched Sept. 8, 2016, collected samples from Bennu in October 2020, and returned the capsule to Earth in September 2023. Initial results released in January 2025 suggested that asteroids could have delivered molecules important for life to early Earth. Following the sample delivery, the spacecraft was renamed OSIRIS‑APEX in December 2023 and retargeted to the asteroid Apophis. It is scheduled to rendezvous with Apophis in June 2029 and will spend roughly 18 months mapping and analyzing the asteroid to advance science and planetary defense capabilities.

Why This Matters

These new findings strengthen the view that many of the organic and inorganic ingredients associated with prebiotic chemistry were widespread across the primordial solar system. While none of the results indicate life itself, they provide concrete evidence that key molecular components — including sugars and complex nitrogen‑/oxygen‑bearing polymers — existed on small bodies that may have collided with early Earth.

Sources: Three peer-reviewed papers (Dec. 2) in Nature Geosciences and Nature Astronomy, and a NASA summary blog post.