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 […]
astrochemistry
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
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 […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Snow In An Infant Planetary System
A snow line has been imaged in a far-off infant planetary system for the very first time. The snow line, located in the disc around the Sun-like star TW Hydrae, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Astrochemistry: the issue of molecular complexity in astrophysical environments
Astrochemistry aims at studying chemical processes in astronomical environments. This discipline — located at the crossroad between astrophysics and chemistry — is rapidly evolving and explores the issue of the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Press Release
Key to Cosmic Carbon's Molecular Evolution
Scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center now have the capability to systematically investigate the molecular evolution of cosmic carbon. For the first time, these scientists are able to automatically interpret […]