【Institute for Advanced Biosciences】 All Five Nucleobases Found in Asteroid Ryugu Samples — Evidence suggests building blocks of DNA and RNA are widespread in carbonaceous asteroids —

2026.03.18

A collaborative research team led by Dr. Toshitaka Koga, Postdoctoral Researcher, and Dr. Yoshinori Takano, Director and Principal Researcher at the Biogeochemistry Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), who also serves Project Associate Professor at IAB, Keio University; Associate Professor Yasuhiro Oba of the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University; Professor Hiroshi Naraoka of Kyushu University; and Human Metabolome Technologies Inc., conducted high-precision analyses of nucleobases in samples collected from asteroid Ryugu.

The study revealed that all five nucleobases that make up DNA and RNA are present in the Ryugu samples, providing new insights into the potential universality of the molecular building blocks of life in carbonaceous asteroids.

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All Five Nucleobases Found in Asteroid Ryugu Samples — Evidence suggests building blocks of DNA and RNA are widespread in carbonaceous asteroids —