Turns out, life’s building blocks might have been floating in space all along. Scientists analyzing samples from the asteroid Bennu, collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, found a treasure trove of organic molecules. These compounds could help explain how life started on Earth—and whether it might exist elsewhere in the universe.

The asteroid Bennu, a hunk of rock orbiting the sun, is like a time capsule from the early solar system. When NASA’s spacecraft returned with samples in 2023, researchers discovered a mix of amino acids and other molecules essential for life. This discovery strengthens the idea that asteroids like Bennu may have delivered the ingredients for life to Earth billions of years ago.

“This increases our chances of finding life elsewhere,” said one of the scientists involved in the study.

The OSIRIS-REx mission, launched in 2016, aimed to uncover secrets about the solar system’s beginnings. Bennu, a remnant from the era when planets were forming, holds clues about how Earth and its neighbors came to be. The asteroid’s chemistry suggests similar processes could be happening on icy moons like Europa or Enceladus, raising hopes for discovering life beyond our planet.

This isn’t the first time scientists have found life-related compounds in space. In 1969, a meteorite landed in Australia, revealing amino acids similar to those in Bennu’s samples. Together, these findings suggest that the ingredients for life could be scattered across the cosmos.

So, what does this mean? Life might not be a rare fluke after all. With more missions like OSIRIS-REx, we might just find out if we’re truly alone—or if the universe is teeming with life. Stay tuned!