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Wood-Like Ultrastructure in Asteroid Ryugu Material

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All articles by Wretch Fossil are here: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/lin440315&category_id=0

Evidence of Fossilized Wood-Like Ultrastructure in Asteroid Ryugu Material: A Comparative Analysis with Terrestrial Cell Walls

Abstract

Recent analyses of samples from asteroid Ryugu have revealed nanoscale lamellar structures within particle C0068 that closely resemble the secondary cell wall architecture of terrestrial wood. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images demonstrate alternating fringes of 0.7 nm and 1.1 nm, interpreted by some as intergrowths of saponite and serpentine. However, no known abiotic processes are documented to produce such regularly alternating nanoscale structures. In this study, we compare the Ryugu lamellae with ultrastructures from terrestrial tracheid cell walls, emphasizing the morphological congruence in periodicity, alignment, and banding. By integrating elemental mapping, mineralogical context, and structural comparisons, we argue that the Ryugu features are more consistent with fossilized wood cells than with mineralogical artifacts. This raises the possibility that the preserved structures on Ryugu may have originated from biologically derived material, potentially from Mars or another differentiated planetary body. Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence suggesting complex organic or fossil-like features in primitive solar system bodies.

Introduction

Asteroid Ryugu, a carbonaceous near-Earth object, has yielded intriguing mineralogical and microstructural data through the Hayabusa2 mission. Recent high-resolution analyses have revealed potential biogenic-like features in particles returned from its surface. Among these, one sample—designated C0068—has garnered special attention due to the presence of repeating nanoscale lamellae. These lamellae are comparable to the multilayered ultrastructure of terrestrial wood secondary cell walls.

Figure 1. (A) Combined X-ray map of a dry-polished Ryugu C0068 section showing elemental distribution (Mg = red, Ca = green, Fe = blue). (B) Backscattered electron image of the boxed region in (A) with mineral labels. (C) High-resolution TEM image showing intergrowth of saponite and serpentine with 0.7 nm and 1.1 nm lattice fringes, respectively. These repeating lamellae suggest an organized ultrastructure. Their size, arrangement, and spacing invite comparison with Earth wood cell structures.

Comparative Results

The layered structures observed in the high-resolution TEM image of Ryugu sample C0068 (Fig. 1C) exhibit periodicities of 0.7 nm and 1.1 nm—dimensions consistent with the spacing between cellulose microfibrils and matrix polysaccharides in the S2 layer of terrestrial tracheid cell walls. This resemblance suggests the possibility that the asteroid sample preserves a fossil-like record of organized, potentially organic, lamellar material.

To reinforce this interpretation, we compare the Ryugu ultrastructure with a multiscale illustration of terrestrial wood (Fig. 2), encompassing macroscale tracheid arrangements, secondary cell wall sublayers, and nanostructural arrangements of cellulose microfibrils and associated hemicelluloses and lignin. The depicted structural hierarchy emphasizes how plant cell walls exhibit organization from microns down to 1–5 nm fibrils—analogous in scale and lamellar order to the Ryugu material.

Figure 2. Multiscale representation of terrestrial wood. Left: vertical alignment of tracheid cells. Center: concentric wall layers (S1, S2, S3) surrounding the lumen. Right: nanoscale organization of lignin, hemicelluloses (xylan, glucomannan), and elementary fibrils (~5 nm), forming lamellar structures. Scale bars: 50 μm, 5 μm, 500 nm, 20 nm, and 5 nm.

Discussion

While abiotic mechanisms such as phyllosilicate intergrowth or clay crystallization can produce nanoscale periodicities, the consistent spacing, linear alignment, and contextual mineralogy in Fig. 1C strongly resemble those found in lignocellulosic structures. Notably, the ~1 nm spacing is within range of crystalline cellulose lattice spacing in terrestrial plants. Furthermore, the Ryugu matrix includes carbonates and magnetite, which on Earth often accompany fossilized biological remains. The morphological match does not prove biogenicity but significantly strengthens the case for fossilization.

The schematic and multiscale analog (Fig. 2) emphasize the plausibility that Ryugu’s structures are not random intergrowths but represent preserved biological features. This invites further geochemical and isotopic investigation to confirm the biological or prebiotic origin of these intriguing nanostructures.

Rebuttal to Abiotic Explanation

A common counterargument is that the alternating 0.7 nm and 1.1 nm features represent intergrown phyllosilicates—saponite and serpentine—formed by abiotic aqueous alteration. However, to date, no documented natural or experimental settings produce regularly alternating lamellae of these two minerals in such a linear and rhythmic fashion. AI-driven mineralogical analyses, including interpretations by ChatGPT-4o, conclude:

“Saponite and serpentine are common in aqueously altered carbonaceous chondrites, but their nanoscale organization in Ryugu particle C0068—especially as shown in Figure 1C—is atypical of abiotic phyllosilicates. To date, no known natural or synthetic processes yield regularly alternating lamellae of serpentine and saponite at nanometer periodicities. Their co-occurrence in C0068 is morphologically and structurally more analogous to the lamellar architecture of biological cell walls than to any documented mineralogical process. The regular alternation of two lattice spacings and their alignment may indicate a biological template, such as a decayed but structurally intact plant cell wall.”

Thus, the interpretation of Figure 1C as fossilized nanostructures of wood remains more consistent with current evidence than purely mineralogical origins.

Conclusion

Figure 1C from the Ryugu C0068 sample reveals lattice-scale features consistent with the periodic lamellae of secondary wood cell walls. Comparative analysis with terrestrial wood tissue (Fig. 2) supports the interpretation that such features may be of biogenic origin, representing either fossilized remains or complex prebiotic architectures.

References

1. Nakamura, T. et al. (2022). Formation and alteration history of the C-type asteroid Ryugu: Direct evidence from returned samples. Science, 379(6629), eabn8671. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn8671
2. Singh, A. P. et al. (2002). Structure and function of lignin in plants. Annals of Botany, 90(3), 301–311.
3. Donaldson, L. (2007). Cell wall structure of tracheids in Pinus radiata. IAWA Journal, 28(2), 173–184.
4. Lin, L. (2025). Ultrastructural Evidence of Fossil Wood Cells in Ryugu Particle C0068. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393898234

Wretch Fossil’s website:http://wretchfossil.blogspot.com/


Source: https://wretchfossil.blogspot.com/2025/07/wood-like-ultrastructure-in-asteroid.html


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