It is not known whether the original carriers of Earth’s nitrogen were molecular ices or refractory dust. To investigate this question, we have used data and results of Herschel observations […]
astrochemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry
ALMA Observes Water Jets And Organic Compounds
The ALMA telescope in Chile has transformed how we see the universe, showing us otherwise invisible parts of the cosmos. This array of incredibly precise antennas studies a comparatively high-frequency […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
The Formation of Peptide-like Molecules on Interstellar Dust Grains
Molecules with an amide functional group resemble peptide bonds, the molecular bridges that connect amino acids, and may thus be relevant in processes that lead to the formation of life. […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Radioactive Nuclei from Cosmochronology to Habitability
In addition to long-lived radioactive nuclei like U and Th isotopes, which have been used to measure the age of the Galaxy, also radioactive nuclei with half-lives between 0.1 and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
First Detection of the Simplest Organic Acid in a Protoplanetary Disk
The formation of asteroids, comets and planets occurs in the interior of protoplanetary disks during the early phase of star formation. Consequently, the chemical composition of the disk might shape […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
THz Spectroscopy Could Help Explain Water's Anomalies
Liquid water sustains life on earth, but its physical properties remain mysterious among scientific researchers. Recently, a team of Swiss researchers used existing THz spectroscopy techniques to measure liquid water’s […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Discovery of Interstellar Isocyanogen: Further Evidence That Dicyanopolyynes Are Abundant In Space
It is thought that dicyanopolyynes could be potentially abundant interstellar molecules, although their lack of dipole moment makes it impossible to detect them through radioastronomical techniques. Recently, the simplest member […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Hunting Molecules To Find New Planets
Each exoplanet revolves around a star, like the Earth around the Sun. This is why it is generally impossible to obtain images of an exoplanet, so dazzling is the light […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
How The Building Blocks Of Life May Form In Space
In a laboratory experiment that mimics astrophysical conditions, with cryogenic temperatures in an ultrahigh vacuum, scientists used an electron gun to irradiate thin sheets of ice covered in basic molecules […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Outback Radio Telescope Listens in on Interstellar Visitor
A telescope in outback Western Australia has been used to listen to a mysterious cigar-shaped object that entered our Solar System late last year. The unusual object–known as ‘Oumuamua–came from […]