We present ALMA observations of organic molecules towards five low-mass Class 0/I protostellar disk candidates in the Serpens cluster. Three sources (Ser-emb 1, Ser-emb 8, and Ser-emb 17) present emission […]
astrochemistry
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Key Early Steps For Origin of Life Occur Under a Variety of Conditions
Potential precursors to life on Earth form from a variety of complex mixtures, according to a team of scientists who say this could point to the development of building blocks […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Formation and Delivery of Complex Organic Molecules to the Solar System and Early Earth
The late stages of stellar evolution from asymptotic giant branch stars to planetary nebulae are now known to be an active phase of molecular synthesis. Over 80 gas-phase molecules have […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Chemistry on Rotating Grain Surface: Ro-Thermal Desorption of Molecules from Ice Mantles
It is widely believed that water and complex organic molecules (COMs) first form in the ice mantle of dust grains and are subsequently returned into the gas due to grain […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Cyanide Compounds In Meteorites May Hold Clues To The Origin Of Life
Cyanide and carbon monoxide are both deadly poisons to humans, but compounds containing iron, cyanide, and carbon monoxide discovered in carbon-rich meteorites by a team of scientists at Boise State […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Hubble Finds Buckminsterfullerene In Space
Scientists using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed the presence of electrically-charged molecules in space shaped like soccer balls, shedding light on the mysterious contents of the interstellar medium (ISM) […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Amino Acid Chiral Selection Via Weak Interactions in Stellar Environments: Implications for the Origin of Life
Magnetochiral phenomena may be responsible for the selection of chiral states of biomolecules in meteoric environments. For example, the Supernova Amino Acid Processing (SNAAP) Model was proposed previously as a […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Theoretical Study of Interstellar Heterocyclic Molecules
Because of their importance in biological systems, in our understanding of the solar system and in other applications, seven heterocycles; furan, imidazole, pyridine, pyrimidine, pyrrole, quinoline and isoquinoline have been […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Chemical And Radiative Transfer Modeling Of Propylene Oxide
The recent identification of the first complex chiral molecule, propylene oxide (PrO) in space opens up a new window to further study the origin of homochirality on the Earth. There […]
Posted inAstrogeology
New Mineral Classification System Captures Earth's Complex Past
The first minerals to form in the universe were nanocrystalline diamonds, which condensed from gases ejected when the first generation of stars exploded. Diamonds that crystallize under the extreme pressure […]