Photo/Illutration Soil from Ryugu brought back by Hayabusa 2 (Provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)

Were ancient civilizations perhaps founded by extraterrestrials?

Recalling my childhood, I think I often read magazine articles on the subject. The writers claimed the Nazca lines in southern Peru were proof that aliens had come to Earth, as the geoglyphs can only be recognized from the air.

Such stories belong in the genre of the occult, but as a boy, I was fascinated by them.

Even if we humans did not inherit civilization from aliens, one theory that now seems to be rapidly gaining acceptance is that the origin of life on Earth came from outer space.

A recent discovery may help further corroborate that theory.

Researchers have found more than 20 different amino acids, the building blocks of life, in soil samples Japan’s Hayabusa 2 space probe brought back from the asteroid Ryugu, which orbits between Earth and Mars.

Amino acids are indispensable to the formation of proteins and ultimately to the birth of life, but how they were brought to Earth is not clearly understood.

If they exist in outer space, they could conceivably have been carried by meteorites.

Since amino acids have been detected from meteorites in the past, the latest soil samples contribute to the emergence, albeit still faintly, of a "thread" linking outer space, meteorites and life.

Hayabusa 2 did a great job.

Among the amino acids found was glutamic acid, known as a component of umami, which can be found in Japanese "dashi" stock.

It is hard to visualize the moment of the birth of life, believed to be about 4 billion years ago, but one prominent theory presents the image of a boiling ocean teeming with life, dubbed the "primordial soup."

Perhaps we could think of dashi stock being poured from outer space into the primordial soup?

In that case, the falling meteorite was like a pinch of umami seasoning going into the soup pot.

My amateur's imagination keeps expanding, but I should stop before all this starts verging on the occult.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 7

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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