The Muchison meteorite, a carbonaceous chondrite (i.e., non-ferrous and carbon-rich), fell in Australia; analysis of its interior revealed 74 amino acids, eight of which (out of 20) are also present on Earth, all five nitrogenous bases that make up DNA, and numerous alien amino acids, some more complex than those on Earth, with up to five carbon atoms. Analysis of other carbonaceous chondrites confirmed the presence of amino acids, with a slight prevalence of left-handed over right-handed amino acids (life on Earth uses exclusively left-handed amino acids).
