A group of researchers from the Institute of Mineralogy of the University of Munster conducted a unique study of the Winchkomb meteorite. Scientists for the first time with high accuracy found important nitrogen compounds in a meteorite, including amino acids and heterocyclic hydrocarbons, without the use of chemical treatment, using a new type of detector. Results of the study published in the journal Nature Communications.
Meteorites that are fragments of asteroids fall to the ground in the form of falling stars and contain information about the origin of our solar system. They are a kind of time capsules that retain the pristine material from which the solar system arose. Such cosmic precipitation helps researchers understand the origin of matter and life on Earth.
The Winchkomb meteorite, observed by the chain of cameras in England in February 2021, was collected just a few days after the fall. Scientists note that meteorites usually find in the cold and hot deserts of the Earth, where a dry climate prevents their rapid destruction. However, humidity still makes changes. If the meteorite is quickly assembled after the fall, as was the case with Winchomb, it becomes an important “witness” of the birth of our solar system, which makes it especially interesting for research.
The origin of life on Earth is still shrouded in a secret, and some scientists believe that the first biologically significant substances were delivered to Earth with meteorites more than 4 billion years ago. Among them are complex organic compounds, such as amino acids or hydrocarbons. However, their concentration in meteorites is extremely low, and usually scientists release them from a meteorite using solvents or acids for analytical purposes.
A team of experts for the first time was able to detect biologically significant nitrogen compounds in the Weinchkomb meteorite without preliminary chemical processing. The study used a modern high-resolution electron microscope, accessible only in a few places around the world. The microscope used in this work, which is located in the Supersbury laboratory, England, not only allows you to consider high-carbon compounds at the level of atoms, but also chemically analyze samples using a new type of detector.
The detection of these biologically significant organic compounds in unprocessed meteorite is a significant achievement for research. The work shows that the building blocks of life can be identified in space precipitation even without chemical extraction. This discovery is also of great importance, since chemical processing includes the risk