On May 27th 2016, scientists at the European Space Agency announced in an article published in the journal Science Advances, that the Rosetta spacecraft had detected the building blocks of life on comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The orbiter discovered the amino acid glycine, which living organism use to make proteins. The scientists believe that this could mean that the ingredients for life may have come to Earth from space.
This marks the second time that glycine has been detected on a comet. The first time was in 2006 when samples were brought back from a mission to comet Wild 2. That and the comet 67/P discovery have given the scientists reason to believe that it's possible that glycine is a common substance that is found where stars and planets are formed. Lead researcher, Kathrin Altwegg said, "Amino acids are everywhere, and life could possibly also start in many place in the universe."
The orbiter also detected the presence of phosphorus which is another key element found in all living organisms. Until now, phosphorus had never been found in the vicinity of a comet. This aligns with the scientific hypothesis that comets and asteroids brought organic molecules to Earth when they crashed into its oceans billions of years ago. Having completed its two year mission, the Rosetta orbiter will fly very close to comet 67/P before crashing onto its surface in September 2016.
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