Single drop of water found in asteroid dust offers clues to life on Earth

This file handout photograph released by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) via Jiji Press on November 13, 2019 shows the asteroid Ryugu after Hayabusa2 departed its orbit around a distant asteroid and head for Earth. Specks of dust retrieved by a space probe from the asteroid some 300 million kilometres from Earth have revealed a surprising component: a drop of water, scientists said. – Photo: AFP

Specks of dust retrieved by a Japanese space probe from an asteroid some 300 million kilometres from Earth have revealed a surprising component: a drop of water, scientists said Friday.

The discovery offers new support for the theory that life on Earth was seeded from outer space.