Building Blocks of Life Found in Meteorite That Crash-Landed in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire
Finding the building blocks of life
New research released on the organic analysis of the Winchcombe meteorite that crash-landed onto a driveway in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, in 2021. The research, led by Dr. Queenie Chan from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London, discovered organic compounds from space that hold the secrets to the origin of life.
In the study, the evaluation found a range of organic matter. This shows that the meteorite belonged to an asteroid where liquid water occurred. Suppose that asteroid had been given access to the water. In that case, a chemical reaction could have happened, resulting in more molecules becoming amino acids and protein– the building blocks of life.
The Winchcombe meteorite
The Winchcombe meteorite is a rare carbon-rich chondritic meteorite (around 4% of all recovered meteorites, containing up to 3.5 weight percent of carbon). It is the first ever meteorite of this kind to be found in the U.K. with an observed meteorite fall event, with over 1,000 eyewitnesses and many video footages of the fireball.
The amino acid abundance of Winchcombe is ten times lower than other sorts of carbonaceous chondritic meteorites. The sample was challenging to examine due to the limited detection of amino acids. However, with the meteorite so quickly retrieved and curated, the team managed to research the organic content of the meteorite before its contact with the Earth’s environment. The organic matter suggests the meteorite might stand for a class of unique, weak meteorites not formerly studied.
Meteorite falls
According to Dr. Queenie Chan at Royal Holloway, University of London, meteorite fall occurs all the time. However, what makes this meteorite fall so different is that this is the first meteorite to have been observed by various eyewitnesses, recorded, and recovered in the U.K. in the last 30 years.
Chan explains that Winchcombe comes from a rare kind of carbonaceous meteorite which normally contains a rich inventory of organic compounds and water. The initial Winchcombe meteorite stone was recovered within 12 hrs of the fireball observation event and appropriately curated to restrict any terrestrial contamination. This enabled them to research the organic signature essential to the meteorite.
Future meteorite research
According to Chan, studying the organic inventory of the Winchcombe meteorite gave them a view into the past and how simple chemistry began the origin of life at the birth of our solar system. Finding these life’s precursor organic molecules allowed us to understand the fall of similar material to the surface of the Earth before the emergence of life on our own planet.
Chan compliments the team saying that it was an honor to lead the group on the organic analysis of the first-ever successful carbonaceous meteorite recovery in the United Kingdom. Working with highly skilled and enthusiastic researchers across the country was a pleasure and a fantastic journey.
The paper was released in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science. The broader research of the organic analysis of the Winchcombe meteorite in this study involved collaborations with Imperial College London and the University of Glasgow.
Read the original article on PHYS.
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