We all came from outer space?
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One of the vital building blocks of life has been gathered from the tail of a passing comet. The discovery supports a theory that all living things come from space and the universe may be full of aliens. Glycine, an amino acid, was collected by Nasa's Stardust probe as it passed through dense gas and dust surrounding the icy comet Wild 2 in January 2004. This is one of 20 amino acids which form chains to create proteins, from which all the cells and structures of living things are made. Dr Carl Pilcher, director of the Nasa Astrobiology Institute, said: 'The discovery of glycine in a comet supports the idea that the fundamental building blocks of life are prevalent in space, and strengthens the argument that life in the universe may be common rather than rare.' Astronomy expert Dr Ian Griffin, chief executive of Science Oxford, said: 'This is a really interesting story. It has long been theorised that life on Earth may have originally been seeded from space and this is one more piece of evidence in support of that theory.' We are not alone 
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| 19 August 2009 at 8:02PM |
