Technology & Science
Dec 2025: Ribose, Glucose & Novel “Space Gum” Confirmed in Bennu Sample
On 2 Dec 2025 three peer-reviewed papers reported that NASA’s uncontaminated Bennu asteroid sample contains the sugars ribose and glucose plus a previously unknown nitrogen-oxygen polymer, completing the full set of known life-building molecules in an extraterrestrial rock.
Focusing Facts
- Ribose and glucose were identified in <5 mg of material analyzed by Furukawa et al., Nature Geoscience, published 2 Dec 2025.
- Nguyen et al. found Bennu holds ~6× the presolar supernova dust fraction seen in typical carbonaceous chondrites, Nature Astronomy, 2 Dec 2025.
- The 120-g Bennu sample was collected on 20 Oct 2020 by OSIRIS-REx and landed in Utah on 24 Sep 2023.
Context
Claims of extraterrestrial organics are not new—the 1969 Murchison meteorite carried amino acids, and the 1996 ALH 84001 Mars stone briefly convinced NASA of fossil microbes—yet both were dogged by terrestrial contamination and interpretive overreach. What distinguishes the Bennu cache is chain-of-custody purity: the sample never contacted Earth’s biosphere, giving the ribose-RNA link far sturdier footing than Murchison’s. The finding fits a half-century trajectory toward in-situ or returned-sample astrochemistry, from Japan’s Hayabusa2 (Ryugu, 2020) to China’s planned Tianwen-3 Mars retrieval. It also dovetails with a broader shift from an Earth-centric origin-of-life model to one of solar-system-wide pre-biotic chemistry, echoing ideas Sir Fred Hoyle floated in the 1980s but grounding them in repeatable lab data. On a 100-year horizon, mapping where and how complex organics assemble will matter less for sensational headlines about ‘life in space’ and more for rewriting planetary formation theories, guiding planetary-defense mining missions, and perhaps, by the 2120s, determining whether RNA-based life sprouted independently on icy moons or was shipped there on rubble like Bennu.
Perspectives
Science-focused mainstream outlets
e.g., USA Today, The New York Sun, The Indian Express — Frame the Bennu findings as strong evidence that the chemical precursors of life were common in the early solar system while stressing that no direct sign of life was found and that the research chiefly supports hypotheses like the “RNA world”. Rely heavily on NASA press briefings and peer-reviewed papers, so their coverage may echo institutional optimism and downplay uncertainties or competing interpretations.
Sensational tabloid & social-media driven outlets
e.g., The Mirror, New York Post — Portray the asteroid as “hurtling toward Earth” and “teeming with the building blocks of life,” suggesting the discovery means the universe is likely full of living worlds and hinting at possible danger or drama for Earth. Uses hyperbolic language and cherry-picked expert quotes to maximise clicks, exaggerating both the threat of the asteroid and the certainty that life exists elsewhere.
Business/market-oriented publications
e.g., Economic Times — Highlight Bennu’s size and “life molecules” to imply vast scientific and commercial significance, quoting figures like Avi Loeb to argue the universe is probably “teeming with life.” Packages the story as headline-grabbing market news, simplifying complex science and stressing upbeat conclusions to maintain reader interest and advertising value.