Meteorites are rich in the building blocks of life, claims new research

Dr Martins says her work provides new insights into the chemistry of the early solar system and the resources available for early life.

“Our increasing understanding of the materials available for the first living systems in the solar system suggests that we are all products of cosmic chemistry,” said Dr Martins.

Dr Zita Martins conducted her research whilst based at the Leiden University, Netherlands, in association with the Carnegie Institution of Washington and NASA JPL in the US.

Notes to editors:

1. “Indigenous amino acids in primitive CR meteorites”

The full listing of authors and their affiliations for the “Meteoritics and Planetary Science” paper is as follows:

Zita Martins (1, 2), Conel Alexander (3), Marilyn Fogel (3), Grazyna Orzechowska (4), Pascale Ehrenfreund (1)

(1) Leiden University
(2) Now at Imperial College London
(3) Carnegie Institution of Washington
(4) NASA JPL

A full copy of the paper can be downloaded on astro-ph at: http://arxiv.org/abs/0803.0743v2

2. About Imperial College London

Imperial College London - rated the world's fifth best university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings - is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk