Abiotic sugars in (162173) Ryugu and the primitive CI carbonaceous chondrite Orgueil

Abiotic sugars in (162173) Ryugu and the primitive CI carbonaceous chondrite Orgueil | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Abiotic sugars in (162173) Ryugu and the primitive CI carbonaceous chondrite Orgueil Cornelia Meinert, Vanessa Leyva, Manuel Robert, Raphaël Pepino, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6916147/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The unequal distribution of prebiotic organic compounds in meteorites—where amino acids and nucleobases are commonly detected but sugars remain scarce and poorly characterized—poses a major challenge in our understanding of extraterrestrial organic chemistry. This disparity is particularly surprising given the robust formation of sugars in laboratory simulations of interstellar ice chemistry, suggesting their plausible synthesis under space conditions. Here we present a novel analytical workflow combining ultrasonic-assisted extraction with enantioselective comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography, enabling simultaneous analysis of sugars and amino acids in samples from the asteroid (162173) Ryugu and the Orgueil meteorite. We report the detection of multiple aldoses—including ribose, arabinose, lyxose, and the formose reaction intermediate ribulose—some of which exhibited racemic distributions consistent with an abiotic, extraterrestrial origin. Meteorite recovery experiments revealed that native sugar abundances, including ribose, are drastically underestimated, with recoveries often below 5%. Despite this, pentose abundances were comparable to those of C₄–C₅ amino acid enantiomers, suggesting that actual sugar concentrations are likely higher. These findings provide compelling evidence for efficient abiotic sugar synthesis in space and support the idea that meteorites may have delivered a broader suite of prebiotically relevant sugars to early Earth than previously recognized strengthening the potential link between extraterrestrial chemistry and the origins of life. Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Meteoritics Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Astrobiology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SIRyuguOrgueilNatCommFinal.docx SUPPLEMENTARY INFO Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6916147","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":473181122,"identity":"c7272a90-f0aa-4570-91fd-fa009bc28db2","order_by":0,"name":"Cornelia 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