Evidence of the Existence of Proteinogenic Amino Acids in Space

Proteinogenic amino acids the primary monomers to form proteins on Earth have been found successively in extraterrestrial areas over decades. It was reported that the detection of amino acids can be both ex situ and in situ. The discovery of proteinogenic amino acids from space may date back to the history of the solar system and is suggestive of alternative mechanisms of synthesizing amino acids. This article uses the literature review method and systematically summarizes the findings from meteorites, asteroids, comets, and the interstellar medium. The article concludes that complex organic molecules are widely spread across the universe and supports the hypothesis that the basic building block of life may be delivered to Earth via celestial bodies, increasing the likelihood of searching for living organisms outside Earth.