NASA OSIRIS-REx mission

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All five DNA and RNA nucleobases found in asteroid Ryugu samples

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Returned Bennu samples in 2023; all five nucleobases reported in 2025

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft dropped 5.4 grams of asteroid Ryugu onto Earth in 2020. In March 2026, researchers reported that those pristine grains contain all five nucleobases used in DNA and RNA.

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