A new study suggests the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, particularly the dwarf planet Ceres, may hold life’s building blocks. Ceres, the largest object in the belt, has hidden oceans with salt water and organic chemicals, especially around the Ertunet Crater. Researchers, led by Maria Cristina De Sanctis, found aliphatic compounds there, likely formed within the last 10 million years due to their inability to withstand prolonged space radiation. Lab simulations using NASA’s Dawn mission data confirmed these findings, indicating recent organic molecule formation in Ceres’s underground ocean.