Tag

Space Chemistry

All articles tagged with #space chemistry

space1 hour ago•105 min saved

Interstellar sugar found in a galactic cloud hints at life’s origins

Astronomers detected erythrulose, a true four-carbon sugar, in a molecular cloud near the Milky Way’s center—the first such sugar found in interstellar space. The discovery suggests sugars can form naturally in space and could supply feedstock for nucleic acids, potentially seeding early life on planets via comets or asteroids. The finding, reported in Nature Astronomy, builds on prior sugar detections in meteorites and asteroid samples and raises the possibility that sugars crucial to RNA/DNA chemistry could originate in space.

via Space|

#astrobiology #erythrulose #interstellar-space

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Asteroids Harbor All Five Nucleobases, Advancing Space Chemistry Clues to Life’s Origins

New high-sensitivity analyses of asteroid samples confirm all five nucleobases (A, C, G, T, U) in Ryugu, adding to prior Bennu detections and resolving earlier Ryugu results. The finding reinforces the idea that space-based chemistry can produce nucleotides and informs potential prebiotic pathways, though it does not imply life, and contamination concerns are addressed. The study also notes a correlation between purine/pyrimidine levels and ammonia across asteroids, offering clues about the reactions that could occur in space and feed theories on how Earth's life's building blocks arrived.

via Ars Technica|

#asteroids #nucleobases #origins-of-life

science8 months ago•6 min saved

Organic Molecules and Life's Building Blocks Found in Deep Space

Astronomers have found widespread organic molecules in space, including in comets, asteroids, and interstellar dust, suggesting that the ingredients for life were present in the early solar system and could have been delivered to Earth, influencing the emergence of life. This discovery highlights the deep space origins of life's building blocks but does not prove life began there.

via Earth.com|

#asteroids #comets #organic-molecules

science11 months ago•3 min saved

Life's Building Blocks Found Around a Young Star

Scientists have tentatively detected molecules that are precursors to sugars and amino acids in the disk of dust around a young star, V883 Orionis, suggesting that complex organic molecules can form early in star and planet formation, inherited from earlier molecular clouds, and potentially contributing to the origins of life.

via ScienceAlert|

#astrochemistry #complex-molecules #protoplanetary-disks

science11 months ago•2 min saved

Scientists Develop 'Super Alcohol' Offering Clues to Extraterrestrial Life

Scientists have synthesized methanetetrol, a highly unstable 'super alcohol' theorized to exist in deep space, by recreating interstellar conditions in the lab. This discovery suggests complex chemistry occurs in space, opening new avenues for understanding cosmic molecules and the potential origins of life, although detecting such molecules in space remains challenging due to their instability.

via ScienceAlert|

#astrochemistry #interstellar-clouds #methanetetrol

science1 year ago•2 min saved

Largest Aromatic Molecule Discovered in Deep Space

Scientists have discovered the largest aromatic molecule, cyanocoronene, in interstellar space within the Taurus molecular cloud, doubling the size of previous records and suggesting complex organic chemistry occurs even before star formation, with implications for understanding the origins of organic molecules in the universe.

via Chemistry World|

#cyanocoronene #interstellar #organic-molecules

space-science2 years ago•3 min saved

Life's Foundation: Building Blocks Formed on Cosmic Dust in the Void

Complex organic molecules, which serve as the building blocks of life, may have formed on tiny grains of dust in the cold vacuum of space, according to a new study. These dust grains, enriched with carbon atoms, react with frozen water to create simple molecules containing carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. These molecules then combine and react with other elements and molecules in the dust, forming more complex organic molecules. The findings suggest that the conditions of deep space alone can generate the necessary complexity for life to emerge.

via Livescience.com|

#building-blocks-of-life #dust-grains #organic-molecules