... we are "star stuff".
Building block of life found on comet
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The amino acid glycine, a fundamental building block of proteins, has been found in a comet for the first time, bolstering the theory that raw ingredients of life arrived on Earth from outer space, scientists said on Monday.
Microscopic traces of glycine were discovered in a sample of particles retrieved from the tail of comet Wild 2 by the NASA spacecraft Stardust deep in the solar system some 242 million miles (390 million km) from Earth, in January 2004.
Samples of gas and dust collected on a small dish lined with a super-fluffy material called aerogel were returned to Earth two years later in a canister that detached from the spacecraft and landed by parachute in the Utah desert.
I always loved the eulogy from Babylon 5: from the stars we came, to the stars we return. It's "ashes to ashes" made cosmic and un-superstitious. I've demanded that it be said at my funeral on the off chance that I die before my conscience can be uploaded...
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