sample collected from asteroid Bennu to Earth in 2023, researchers uncovered an ancient time capsule. Within were particles of dust and rock that predate our solar system. Some of Bennu’s material is so primordial that it existed before the sun itself, formed in dying stars long before our planetary system came into being. This aspect elevates Bennu beyond the status of a mere traveling asteroid. Each fragment from the samples provides insights into how the foundational elements from remote regions of our galaxy converged to create planets, moons, and even humanity. By analyzing these samples, scientists are able to peer more than 4.5 billion years into the cosmic history, a period when our solar system was essentially a swirling mass of gases and dust.
However, this finding is not solely about its age. The scientists utilized these samples to establish a link among all the elements that eventually facilitated life on Earth. The same stellar blast that produced Bennu’s earliest dust particles infused the universe with stardust, which would ultimately serve as the essential components of life itself.
