Scientists find evidence that primitive life on Earth is assembled from materials in space
According to researchers at the Max Planck Institute, the molecules that form the basis for the construction of life may be more common in space than at one point.
Their work, Posted in Astrophysics JournallThe report found that detection of more than a dozen complex organic molecules swimming close to a group of atoms in the Orion constellation shows that these chemicals can survive, and these processes can survive the violent processes of stars and therefore may occupy a wide range of space without having to wait for the planets that form them with the right conditions.
The two most famous organic molecules detected in the system – tentatively, astronomers – ethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. Both are precursors of nucleic acids that form DNA and RNA.
“Our findings point to straight chemical enrichment and increased complexity between interstellar clouds and fully developed planetary systems.” Fadul, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute, said in a statement on the work.
Therefore, citing the researchers’ statement: “This shows that the seeds of life are assembled in space and are extensive.”
So far, it has been believed that most organic molecules will be destroyed when the star system originates from the cold collapsed gas clouds called interstellar clouds.
When this happens, the protostar experiences violent, turbulent changes that blast destructive radiation that heats up the surrounding gas while impacting with powerful shock waves. This leaves a prime mover disk that can eventually form small worlds in the orbit of stars. But in the process, this is also considered to “reset” all the progress made in building a block seeding system with chemical building blocks, until the block can begin again as the correct planet appears in the ideal conditions.
“It now seems the opposite,” MPI astronomer Kamber Schwarz said in a statement about the work. “Our results show that the original goal disk inherits complex molecules from an earlier stage and that the formation of complex molecules can continue to form during the original ball disk stage.”
Complex organic molecules are difficult to detect because they are often trapped in fragments called ice powder particles, which form first. But in the V883 system, the star is still exploding into space with explosive radiation, as it feeds on the remaining gas in the disk.
“These bursts are strong enough to heat the surrounding disks in other cold environments, releasing the chemicals we found,” Fadul said.
Once liberated, the gas heats up quickly and produces emissions that astronomers can see. The researchers discovered them using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), a Chilean shooting telescope made of 66 individual antennas.
From a poetic point of view, it seems that the destructive tendency of young stars is releasing the seeds of life to roam space. If the precursors of the basis of life can survive the violent formation of the system, it means that their chemical evolution can begin before the formation of the planet begins. In short, it seems that the components of life can be formed in space and may prevail throughout the universe.
Subsequent observations will require confirmation of the test, but the results make the researchers buzz.
“Perhaps we need to study other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum to find more evolutionary molecules,” Fadul said. “Who knows what we might find?”
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