The presence of amino acids in comets and meteorites has long suggested that prebiotic molecules may have formed in space and contributed to the origins of life on Earth.
Amino acids, the building blocks necessary for life, were previously found in samples of 4.6-billion-year-old rocks from an asteroid called Bennu, delivered to Earth in 2023 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
Icy interstellar dust grains are a source of complex organic molecule (COM) production, although their formation mechanisms are debated.
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers led by Abubakar Fadul from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has discovered complex organic molecules – including […]
The empty, extensive low-density lattice topology of hemoglycin is examined to understand how in space, and possibly as early as 800M years into cosmic time a rod-like polymer of glycine […]
α-Keto acids, such as pyruvate and glyoxylate, may have been critical in generating reaction networks at the origins of life due to their facile carbon-carbon bond formation and their hydrolytic […]
Syn-glycolamide, a glycine isomer, has recently been detected in the G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud. Investigations on its formation in the interstellar medium could offer insights into synthetic routes leading to glycine […]
Gas-phase hydroxylamine (NH2OH) has recently been detected within dense clouds in the interstellar medium. However, it is also likely present within interstellar ices, as well as on the icy surfaces […]
Gamma radiation can convert methane into a wide variety of products at room temperature, including hydrocarbons, oxygen-containing molecules, and amino acids, reports a research team in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Aminoacetonitrile (AAN), also known as glycinenitrile, has been suggested as a possible precursor of glycine and adenine in the interstellar medium. Here we present the chemical modeling of AAN and […]
