An asteroid that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter contains all the key ingredients needed to create life, scientists say.

In 2023, a NASA mission called OSIRIS-REx grabbed samples from the asteroid, named Bennu, and returned them to Earth. Early tests showed that Bennu contained water, carbon and important organic molecules such as amino acids, but one key piece was missing – the sugars used to build RNA and DNA, which are molecules that store and pass on information.

Now, though, researchers in Japan have found ribose, a sugar found in RNA, and other sugars like glucose, which living things use for energy.

Scientists say that this supports the idea that when Earth was young, asteroids may have collided with the planet and delivered many of the raw ingredients needed for life to begin.

It’s possible that they could have done the same to other planets, like Mars.