Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt, is harbouring molecules of life and might be the next potential target for study The asteroid belt that

Ceres, largest object in asteroid belt, shows signs of life near Ertunet Crater

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2024-09-26 16:30:07

Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt, is harbouring molecules of life and might be the next potential target for study

The asteroid belt that sits between Mars and Jupiter might be holding the building blocks of life, according to a new study. The dwarf planet Ceres in the region has a hidden ocean which harbours such ingredients, the research published in the journal Science Advances says.

Ceres is the largest object in our Solar System’s asteroid belt, and its icy surface hides several small underground water bodies containing salt water. But the most fascinating discovery has been made around one of its largest craters, the Ertunet Crater.

Maria Cristina De Sanctis, a planetary scientist at Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics, and her colleagues found the basics of life here.

Hundreds of square miles of area around this crater are covered with a layer of organic chemicals, also called aliphatics. Researchers suggest that the chemicals must have formed only in the past few million years or so. This is because aliphatic compounds cannot sustain the constant bombardment of radiation in deep space for a long time.