Surprising phosphate finding in NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample

Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security—Regolith Explorer) mission since it was delivered to Earth last fall. They have hoped the material would hold secrets of the solar system's past and the prebiotic chemistry that might have led to the origin of life on Earth.