Field Museum Receives Asteroid Bennu Sample for Origin of Life Study

The Field Museum in Chicago has become one of the few research institutions to receive a pristine sample from asteroid Bennu, collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission and returned to Earth in 2023. This tiny, dark fragment, uncontaminated by Earth's atmosphere, serves as a 4.6-billion-year-old time capsule that holds organic compounds and essential elements like carbon and nitrogen, which are believed to be key ingredients to the origin of life and the formation of Earth. Scientists, including Field Museum curator Philipp Heck and graduate student Yuke Zheng, emphasize the significance of studying this fragile, mechanically weak rock to better understand the early solar system and the materials that contributed to life. The sample's pristine condition contrasts with meteorites that burn upon entering Earth's atmosphere, preserving its scientific value. Researchers will use advanced equipment to analyze the sample's composition in the coming weeks, hoping to uncover more about the solar system's beginnings. Additionally, Bennu is monitored as a potentially hazardous asteroid, though experts note its fragility reduces the risk of catastrophic impact.