Carbonaceous Material in Extra-terrestrial Matter

• Published in: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
• Main Author: Martins, Zita
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2015
• Subjects: Astronomy and Astrophysics; Space and Planetary Science; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1743921316003008; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S1743921316003008

Abstract Comets, asteroids, meteorites, micrometeorites, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), and ultra-carbonaceous Antarctic micrometeorites (UCAMMs) may contain carbonaceous material, which was exogenously delivered to the early Earth. Carbonaceous chondrites have an enormous variety of extra-terrestrial compounds, including all the key compounds important in terrestrial biochemistry. Comets contain several carbon-rich species and, in addition, the hypervelocity impact-shock of a comet can produce several α-amino acids. The analysis of the carbonaceous content of extra-terrestrial matter provides a window into the resources delivered to the early Earth, which may have been used by the first living organisms.