An essential nutrient for life on Earth also cooks up in space, a new study finds. While scientists arent yet sure of the exact recipe, they think radiation-blasted ice powered the chemical reactions that produced vitamin B3, or niacin, early in the solar systems history. A stew of dust and ice created key molecules for life in this planetary kitchen, which all later clumped into asteroids and comets, suggests the new study, published April 13 in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Some researchers think impacts on early Earth could have delivered chemicals essential for life, such as amino acids and vitamins like niacin. Today, niacin isnt made by the human body, and must be consumed in the diet.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 20:44:01 +0000
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