Scientists have found a large variety of nucleobases, essential building blocks of DNA, in meteorites. The team found adenine and guanine, two of the four components of DNA, as well as hypoxanthine and xanthine. DNA resembles a spiral ladder; adenine and guanine connect with two other nucleobases to form the rungs of the ladder. Hypoxanthine and xanthine are not found in DNA, but are used in other biological processes.
Chris Smith / Goddard Space Flight Center / NASA
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