Astronomers announced the discovery of the components of life in the space cloud 1000 light-years from Earth, and scientists found the basic components necessary for life in the distant star formation cloud.
According to the British newspaper Metro, these molecules are essential for the formation of amino acids, which are the basis of genetic material, making them essential in the development of the first microorganisms on Earth.
The prebiotic molecules are found in a star cluster within the Perseus molecular cloud, called IC348.
The Perseus molecular cloud is a collection of gas and dust spanning 500 light-years across that hosts an abundance of young stars and was imaged in 2019 by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.
Dr Suzanne Iglesias Groth, from the Canary Islands Astronomical Institute (IAC) and Martina Marin-Dobrenic from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, confirmed the presence of several prebiotic molecules in the star-forming region IC348 of the Perseus Molecular Cloud, a small star cluster. 2-3 million years ago.
The Perseus cloud is one of the star-forming regions closest to the solar system. Many of its stars are young and have protoplanetary disks where the physical processes that lead to planet formation can occur.
The new research detected common molecules such as molecular hydrogen, hydroxyl, water, carbon dioxide and ammonia in the inner part of the stellar cluster.
Researchers also found many carbon-bearing molecules that can play an important role in the production of more complex hydrocarbons and prebiotic molecules, such as hydrogen cyanide, acetylene, ethane, benzene, and so on.
“It’s an extraordinary laboratory of organic chemistry and these are complex molecules of pure carbon that often occur as the building blocks of the major molecules of life,” Iglesias-Groth said.
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Source: “Al-Bawaba News”