While the odds of Bennu impacting Earth may sound alarming ... of hitting Earth in 2032 'City-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 could hit the moon instead of us, scientists say "Depending on the collision ...

Earlier this month, NASA revealed that samples collected from Bennu contain 14 of the 20 amino acids essential for life on Earth, as well as key organic compounds that play a role in forming DNA ...

In an update issued on February 7, NASA said the probability of 2024 YR4 hitting the Earth had gone from around 1.2 percent (one-in-83) to 2.3 percent (one-in-43).

A Bennu-type asteroid could lead to “severe environmental consequences,” researchers write, while acknowledging that a collision is not likely.

If Bennu did hit Earth, it would trigger an explosion equivalent to 1.4 billion tons of TNT. Not only could the 500-metre-wide rock threaten millions of lives, but a recent study predicted that ...

While the odds of Bennu impacting Earth may sound alarming, they're not entirely unexpected. "On average, medium-sized asteroids collide with Earth about every 100–200 thousand years.