NASA Just Arrived at an Asteroid! SciShow News

NASA's Osiris Rex spacecraft has reached the asteroid Bennu after a two-year journey. Bennu is valuable for understanding the solar system's formation due to its proximity and chemical composition. Osiris Rex will collect samples using a nitrogen gas jet and return them to Earth by 2023. Meanwhile, new research suggests a potential fifth RNA base, Innocine, which could have played a role in early life on Earth. This discovery may expand the search for life beyond Earth.

What challenges do scientists face in understanding the origins of RNA and its components?

What new hypothesis about the chemical base Innocine was proposed in the research?

How might the findings about Innocine change our understanding of the origins of life?