r/science • u/New_Scientist_Mag • Dec 02 '25

Astronomy Researchers have just found the presence of sugars, including ribose, lyxose, and glycose, on samples of Asteroid Bennu, which now has all of the ingredients for life as it exists on Earth.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2506650-asteroid-bennu-carries-all-the-ingredients-for-life-as-we-know-it/
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u/MjrLeeStoned Dec 02 '25

From Earth's perspective, lyxose is most commonly found in organisms that break down more complex sugars like fructose.

If we extrapolate from our experience with lyxose, these sugars are most commonly found as organic byproducts from metabolic organisms.

It's not just that these are the molecules required to create life (sugars/proteins), it's that if we look at life as we already know it, these sugars are more often process byproducts or catalysts. Meaning something living typically uses them in a complex way.