Origin proposed for non-protein amino acids in meteorites

Abstract

THE amino acids that have been identified in several meteorites1,2 can be divided into two classes: those present in proteins and those which are not. The presence of the non-protein amino acids, D- and L-β-aminoisobutyric acid and β-alanine, is described as evidence for the indigenous origin of meteorite amino acids and against terrestrial contamination1. It is implied that these β-amino acids arise by prebiotic condensation of ammonia, methane, hydrogen, water and other simple primordial molecules3. The β-amino acids and other amino acids can arise from simple molecules by Fischer–Tropsch synthesis in the laboratory. Hydrogen, carbon dioxide and ammonia were heated to high temperatures in the presence of natural catalysts expected to be present in the solar nebula4.