Sugar found near Milky Way's center could explain life's origins
What's the story
In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have detected a natural sugar called erythrulose in the clouds of interstellar dust and gas near the Milky Way's center. The research was led by Spain's Center for Astrobiology and published in Nature Astronomy. Sugars, of which erythrulose is an example, play an essential role in living systems by providing energy and forming parts of genetic material like RNA and DNA.
Research method
How did the team make this discovery?
To make this discovery, the research team used two radio telescopes: one at the Yebes Observatory near Madrid and another at the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range (IRAM) in southern Spain.
They studied a molecular cloud named G+0.693-0.027 near the galaxy's center.
By comparing its molecular signature with laboratory-measured wavelength patterns of erythrulose, they confirmed their findings.
Scientific implications
Erythrulose challenges existing theories in astrochemistry
The discovery has challenged the existing theories in astrochemistry that interstellar molecules grow by adding carbon atoms.
Izaskun Jimenez-Serra, an astronomer at the Center for Astrobiology and lead author of the research, said, "Our discovery demonstrates that relatively complex sugars can already be synthesized in interstellar space, before stars and planets are born."
This finding could have implications for our understanding of how life could originate elsewhere in the universe.
Life's origins
Erythrulose could have reached Earth via comets and asteroid dust
The study speculates that erythrulose could be formed from simpler molecules on icy dust grains in space and may become part of more complex chemical systems.
Mark Sephton, a professor at Imperial College London, said this discovery strengthens suggestions that our solar system may have been seeded with pre-existing organic compounds.
Yoshihiro Furukawa of Tohoku University also agreed sugars could reach Earth via comets and asteroid dust.
Earthly presence
How much erythrulose has reached Earth's surface?
Erythrulose, a sugar found in tiny amounts in raspberries and other fruits, is also used as an ingredient for cosmetics like self-tanning products.
The researchers estimate that between 0.5 million and 50 million metric tons of this sugar could have reached Earth's surface during the Late Heavy Bombardment.
It is a period about four billion years ago when asteroids bombarded the solar system's inner planets.