The organic content of protoplanetary disks sets the initial compositions of planets and comets, thereby influencing subsequent chemistry that is possible in nascent planetary systems. We present observations of the […]
astrochemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Chemical Sleuthing Unravels Possible Path To Forming Life's Building Blocks In Space
Scientists have used lab experiments to retrace the chemical steps leading to the creation of complex hydrocarbons in space, showing pathways to forming 2-D carbon-based nanostructures in a mix of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Explaining The Increasing Temperature Of Cooling Granular Gases
A Leicester mathematician has developed a theory to explain ‘heating by cooling’, where the temperature of a granular gas increases while the total energy drops down – a peculiar phenomenon […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Extragalactic Archaeology With The C, N, and O Chemical Abundances
We predict how the C, N, and O abundances within the interstellar medium of galaxies evolve as functions of the galaxy star formation history (SFH). We adopt a hydrodynamical cosmological […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
The Detection of Hot Cores and Complex Organic Molecules in the Large Magellanic Cloud
We report the first extragalactic detection of the complex organic molecules (COMs) dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3) and methyl formate (CH3OCHO) with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). These COMs together with […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Interstellar Molecules Inspire New Transformations
Back in the 1930s, astronomers detected one of the first molecules in interstellar space – carbynes. The simplest carbyne, formed by carbon and hydrogen only, is nowadays considered one of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Stellar Embryos In Nearby Dwarf Galaxy Contain Surprisingly Complex Organic Molecules
The nearby dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a chemically primitive place. Unlike the Milky Way, this semi-spiral collection of a few tens-of-billions of stars lacks […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Astrochemists Reveal The Magnetic Secrets of Methanol
A team of scientists, led by Boy Lankhaar at Chalmers University of Technology, has solved an important puzzle in astrochemistry: how to measure magnetic fields in space using methanol, the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Detection of the Aromatic Molecule Benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN) in the Interstellar Medium
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles are thought to be widespread throughout the Universe, because these classes of molecules are probably responsible for the unidentified infrared bands, a […]
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Ingredients for Life Revealed in Meteorites That Fell to Earth
Two wayward space rocks, which separately crashed to Earth in 1998 after circulating in our solar system’s asteroid belt for billions of years, share something else in common: the ingredients […]