![First detection of fully deuterated methanol in interstellar space This composite image shows the Perseus molecular cloud, which is located about 1,000 light-years from Earth. A rare form of the organic alcohol methanol has been observed around at least one of the very young stars still embedded within it. This is the first time this molecule has been detected in space, as shared by the ALMA COMPASS Large Program (Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys). Credit: Ekaterina Moerova / MPIfR; Background: NASA, CXC, SSC, NOAO, DSS; and 3D image of methanol fromPubChem [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004-. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 887, Methanol; [cited 2026 July 16]. -- [NRAO]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Exotic.png?resize=1200%2C724&ssl=1)
[NRAO] An international team of astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a partner (NSF NRAO), has […]
Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry
Posted inBrown Dwarfs
SPHEREx Telescope Sees Menagerie Of Brown Dwarfs
[NASA] NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) space telescope is shedding light on brown dwarfs, celestial objects that blur the line […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Complex Organic Molecules In Protostars With ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) VII. First Interstellar Detection Of Fully Deuterated Methanol
[astro-ph.GA] There have been no robust identifications of fully deuterated methanol, CD3OD, in the interstellar medium (ISM) to date.
![Column density maps of 13CO2, CO and OCN− ice (panel I, II and III, respectively). 12CO2 column densities are derived from 13CO2 column densities. Panel IV shows the ratio between the 4.38 µm and 4.39 µm peak of the 13CO2 ice feature. A higher ratio indicates higher degree of CO2 ice segregation. The axes are shown on astronomical unit scales. Pixelated areas especially in the north and south of the maps as well as the edges are caused by low signal-to-noise levels. -- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mapping.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Mapping Of Interstellar Ices With JWST In Protostellar Envelopes: Spatial Variations Of 13CO2, 12CO2, CO, OCN− and H2O ice
[astro-ph.SR] The composition of planets and their atmospheres is largely determined by the formation environment of the planet. This environment is pre-determined during early stages when the protostar is still […]
![Absolute CSs for the reaction of P+ with C2H2, measured at ECM = 0.14 eV as a function of the photon energy. Products are detected at m/z 56 (HCCP+, orange triangles) and m/z 55 (CCP+, blue circles). From Ephot ≈23 eV an additional product is observed at m/z 26 (C2H2 +, black squares). The vertical dashed black line indicates Ephot value at which CS trends as a function of ECM have been measured. Grey and red arrows indicate the calculated thermodynamic thresholds for production of P+ in ground and excited states, as detailed in the text.-- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Synthesis.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Synthesis Of Organo-phosphorous Species In Space: The Reaction Of P+ With C2H2
[astro-ph.SR] Despite its low cosmic abundance, phosphorus is a bioessential element whose prebiotic availability and incorporation into biomolecules remain open questions. Only a few phosphorous containing molecules with P to […]
![Moment 0 maps of the molecular lines. (d) rms = 0.005 Jy beam−1 km s−1 (3, 4, 5, 6 σ); (e) rms = 0.0077 Jy beam−1 km s−1 (5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 σ); (f) rms = 0.009 Jy beam−1 km s−1 (5, 7, 9, 11 σ); (g) rms = 0.0039 Jy beam−1 km s−1 (3, 4, 5 σ). Close-up images of each panel are shown below. These regions are indicated by a white dashed square in panel (a). Color scales are adjusted for the close-up ones. The black and white contours are the continuum map same as in the right panel of Figure 1. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/A-Cyanopolyyne.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
A Cyanopolyyne-rich But COM-poor Massive Protostar: The First Hot Carbon Chain Chemistry Source G28.28-0.36
[astro-ph.GA] We present molecular emission line data from the massive young stellar object (MYSO) G28.28-0.36 (G28.28) obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 3. Cyanopolyynes (HC3N and HC5N) and […]
Posted inAstrogeology
A JWST Study Oof Stardust. II. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Comet 81P/Wild 2 And Implications For Primitive Solar System Carbon
[astro-ph.EP] We report observations of comet 81P/Wild 2, target of the Stardust sample return mission, on UT 2023 March 20 and 24 at a heliocentric distance (rH) of 1.85 au […]
Posted inTitan
Oxidation Of Photochemical Organic Hazes: A Prebiotic Source of Oxygen-Bearing Organics in Titan’s Atmosphere And Early Earth?
[Astrobiology via PubMed]. Photochemical organic hazes such as those found in the atmosphere of Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, are mainly composed of reduced chemical components.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
A Geochemical Precursor of ATP
[Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf] Where did the energy come from to power the chemical origin of life and how did phosphate come to be the universal energy currency of cells?
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Molecular Complexity As A Signature Of Life
[PNAS Nexus] The presence of an abundance of complex molecules has been proposed as a universal signature of life. Molecular complexity is often measured by the “assembly index,” which calculates […]