Chemical disequilibrium has recently become a relevant topic in the study of the atmospheres of of transiting extrasolar planets, brown dwarfs, and directly imaged exoplanets. We present a new way […]
Astrochemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry, Titan
Detection of Propene in Titan's Stratosphere
The Voyager 1 flyby of Titan in 1980 gave a first glimpse of the chemical complexity of Titan’s atmosphere, detecting many new molecules with the infrared spectrometer (IRIS). These included […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Scientists Discover Cosmic Factory for Life's Building Blocks
Scientists have discovered a ‘cosmic factory’ for producing the building blocks of life, amino acids, according to research. The team from Imperial College London, the University of Kent and Lawrence […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Quantum Tunnelling Could Aid Life's Chemistry in the Coldest Places
New research has revealed that chemical reactions previously thought to be ‘impossible’ in space actually occur ‘with vigour,’ a discovery that could ultimately change our understanding of how alcohols are […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Origin & Evolution of Life
Computational Approach Speeds Up Exploration of the Universe
How many different molecules can be created when you release one of the universe’s most reactive substances, hydrogen cyanide, in the lab? And will the process create some particularly interesting […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Water and Low Mass Stars
If water is the source of life, then finding the source of water certainly qualifies as a worthy astrobiological endeavor. Scientists have formulated certain scenarios for how our planet became […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Modeling of Subsurface Ice Mantle on Interstellar Dust Grains
Interstellar ices are layers of molecules deposited on fine dust grains in dark and dense molecular cloud cores. Subsurface ice has been considered in a few astrochemical models, which have […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Complex Organic Molecules in the Interstellar Medium
The discovery of amino acids in meteorites and the detection of glycine in samples returned from a comet to Earth suggest that the interstellar chemistry is capable of producing such […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Is the CH + H2O Reaction a Source of Interstellar Formaldehyde?
Water is an important reservoir species for oxygen in interstellar space and plays a key role in the physics of star formation through cooling by far-infrared emission. Whilst water vapour […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life
Natural Affinities May Have Set Stage for Life to Ignite
The chemical components crucial to the start of life on Earth may have primed and protected each other in never-before-realized ways, according to new research led by University of Washington […]