When researchers finally cracked open the canisters from asteroid Bennu, they were not just sifting through dust. They were staring at a chemical time capsule packed with sugars, amino acids, salt ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — New results from OSIRIS-REx, NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission, reveals why some gray asteroids reflect light at different wavelengths, like red or blue, more strongly ...

Scientists studying samples from the asteroid Bennu have found that it contains a remarkable mix of materials — some of which formed long before the sun even existed. "It's very fascinating to see ...

Smithsonian researchers analyzed fragments of the near-Earth asteroid and discovered water-rich clays that hint at a distant origin Jack Tamisiea A view of the outside of the OSIRIS-REx sample ...

When NASA's Osiris-REx spacecraft delivered its sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth in 2023, scientists opened an ancient time capsule. Inside it were grains of dust and rock older than our solar ...

Samples taken from the asteroid Bennu are continuing to shed light on the origins of the solar system. Scientists have been studying the samples since NASA's Osiris-REx spacecraft carried them back to ...

Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London.View full profile Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum ...

Some of the oldest objects in the solar system still drift above your head. Asteroids and comets formed before Earth took shape, and they carry a record of a chemical world that existed long before ...

When scientists analyzed the sample returned from asteroid Bennu, they quickly realized it contained more than anticipated.

Sugars essential for life were found for the first time alongside “space gum” on an asteroid hurtling towards Earth, indicating that our universe could be teeming with life, according to new research.

Since its discovery in 1999, the near-Earth asteroid Bennu has captivated scientists as a time capsule from the early solar system — and also as a key to possibly understanding the origins of life. To ...

Samples taken from the asteroid Bennu are continuing to shed light on the origins of the solar system. Scientists have been studying the samples since NASA's Osiris-REx spacecraft carried them back to ...