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ASTROBIOLOGY and Consciousness Research

Sept. 24, 2024
dark Bennu particle
UA Astrobiology Center
ASTROBIOLOGY and Consciousness Research
Dante Lauretta
OSIRIS-REx, 1 year later: Asteroid sample continues to provide clues about early solar system and origins of life on Earth

U of A Regents Professor Dante Lauretta says he is "amazed by the discoveries we've made" since the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered an asteroid sample to Earth last year.  Read more

Prof. Lauretta is co-chair,  Director, Arizona Astrobiology Center AABC

$1M gift will advance consciousness research at U of A Astrobiology Center

The Arizona Astrobiology Center received a $1 million gift from Eugene Jhong, a retired Google software developer, to support research on the origins of life and consciousness.  Read more

NEW - Articles, Meetings
Bennu

A microscope image of a dark Bennu particle, about a millimeter long, with a crust of bright phosphate. To the right is a smaller fragment that broke off.

From Lauretta & Connolly et al. (2024) Meteoritics & Planetary Science

Bennu holds the solar system's 'original ingredients,' might have been part of a wet world - Mikayla Mace Kelley, UA News, June 26, 2024
OSIRIS-REx sample scientists took a deep dive into the rocks and dust returned from asteroid Bennu. They found that the sample is rich in carbon, nitrogen and organic compounds – essential components for life as we know it.

"Finally having the opportunity to delve into the OSIRIS-REx sample from Bennu after all these years is incredibly exciting," said Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx and Regents Professor of planetary sciences in the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. "This breakthrough not only answers longstanding questions about the early solar system but also opens new avenues of inquiry into the formation of Earth as a habitable planet. The insights outlined in our overview paper have sparked further curiosity, driving our eagerness to explore deeper."  More 
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Dante Lauretta - Keynote Speaker - The Science of Consciousness 2024
PLENARY #11 - TSC - MOLECULES OF LIFE & CONSCIOUSNESS FROM THE ASTEROID BENNU -  Video