Space Residue (IMAGE) Southwest Research Institute Caption Southwest Research Institute Research Scientist Dr. Danna Qasim, along with a research team from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., posits that interstellar cloud conditions may have played a significant role on the presence of key building blocks of life in the solar system. To determine to what extent amino acids formed from asteroid conditions and to what extent they were inherited from the interstellar molecular cloud, Qasim and her team simulated the formation of amines and amino acids as it would occur in the interstellar molecular cloud, forming an organic residue. She then processed the residue under asteroid relevant conditions, also known as aqueous alteration. Credit Southwest Research Institute Usage Restrictions Images/Videos may be used by the public for educational and informational purposes only. License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.