[ACS Central Science] Complex organic molecules in interstellar ices and carbonaceous asteroids record key steps in the chemical evolution toward life, yet the origin of branched carbonyl compounds a fundamental […]
galactic cosmic rays
![Surviving CH4 fraction as a function of depth below the surface and effective GCR exposure time. The colour scale gives the CH4 abundance relative to its initial value, while the dashed contours indicate 90%, 50%, and 10% remaining CH4. Vertical dashed lines mark the 3σ viable GCR exposure range of 0.87 - 3.12 Gyr. Increasing GCR exposure progressively extends CH4 depletion to greater depths while more deeply shielded layers retain a larger fraction of their primordial CH4. --[astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Delayed.png?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Delayed Methane Detection in 3I/ATLAS: GCR-Driven Subsurface Stratification and Interstellar Exposure Age Constraints
[astro-ph.EP] Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shows unusual volatile activity, including strong H2O, CO, and CO2 production and a delayed post-perihelion detection of CH4.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Sample Return, Status Report
The Formation of Glycolamide on Interstellar Ices
For decades, scientists have searched interstellar space for the chemical seeds of life. In this issue of ACS Central Science, Kaiser and co-workers (1) offer a striking advance in that […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Energy Deposition By Galactic Cosmic Rays And Implications For Ozone Chemistry
We present a Monte Carlo study of galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) energy deposition and its implications for stratospheric chemistry, performed with the Geant4 toolkit.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report
Abiotic Formation Of Nitrile Precursors To Amino Acids And Nucleobases In Interstellar Ice Analogues
Amino acids and the five canonical nucleobases have been identified in carbonaceous meteorites such as Murchison and Murray; however, their formation mechanisms under interstellar conditions have remained largely elusive.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Interstellar, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Increased And Varied Radiation During The Sun’s Encounters With Cold Clouds In The Last 10 Million Years
Recent research raises the possibility that 3 and 7 million years ago, the Sun encountered massive clouds that shrank the heliosphere–the solar cocoon protecting our solar system–exposing Earth to its […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Interstellar, Status Report
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Evidence for Galactic Cosmic Ray Processing
Spectral observations of 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) with JWST/NIRSpec and SPHEREx reveal an extreme CO2 enrichment (CO2/H2O = 7.6+-0.3) that is 4.5 sigma above solar system comet trends and among the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Formation Of Thiocarbonic acid (H2CS3) – The Sulfur Counterpart Of Carbonic Acid (H2CO3) – In Interstellar Analog Ices
The first experimental formation of thiocarbonic acid (H2CS3) is presented in this work from low-temperature interstellar ice analogs composed of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon disulfide (CS2) exposed to electron […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Galactic Forcing Increases Origination Of Marine Microplankton
The continuous flux of Galactic cosmic rays that bombard Earth’s atmosphere creates ionizing radiation that can damage the DNA of living organisms.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Modeling the astrosphere of LHS~1140
The cosmic ray (CR) flux, as well as the hydrogen flux into the atmosphere of an exoplanet, can change the composition of the atmosphere. Here, we present the CR and […]