Prebiotic Chemicals Present In Comets, Scientists Say

Comets have been blamed by scientists to be the ones that brought mass destructions and extinctions that brought about the end of the dinosaurs. However, new studies show that comets may have actually brought back the necessary building blocks of DNA and proteins necessary to life on the planet.

In a report by The Daily Mail, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft brought back evidence that suggest these icy objects were the ones that brought life to our planet. The spacecraft, which had been orbiting the duck-shaped Comet 67P, also known as the Churyumov-Gerasimenko, since August 2014, discovered that the comet has amino acid glycine, and the mineral phosphorous hidden under the enormous block of ice and dust.

Gylcine is one of the 20 protiens found in all living creatures, while phosphorous forms part of the DNA molecules.

Rosetta scientist Kathrin Altwegg, from the University of Bern in Switzerland said in the study published in Science Advances, "Having found glycine in more than one comet shows that neither Wild 2 nor 67P are exceptions." The presence of glycine also implies that it is common -- found in regions of the universe where stars and planets are formed.

She also added that amino acids are common in the universe, which means that life could start in many places other than the earth. However, this is the first time that phosphorus was found around a comet.

Donald Brownlee, a scientist from the University of Washingon and lead scientist to the current comet sample return mission said, "Meteorites and now comets prove that Earth has been seeded with many critical biomolecules over its entire history."

However, despite the presence of these life-giving elements, Altwegg noted that amino acids are not enough to form a living cell. "It's the multitude of molecules which make up the ingredients for life."