Carbonaceous chondrites

The group of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites includes the most primitive meteorites. These meteorites contain the best preserved examples of the very first aggregated material in space after the formation of our solar system. Carbonaceous chondrites are therefore the oldest and most pristine objects within our solar system. They contain molecules that are the basic building blocks of our DNA and hence of life itself - such as amino acids that make up proteins. It is possible (but not yet confirmed) that the first life on Earth evolved with help from these amino acids carried to Earth by meteorites.