Scientists discover building blocks of life in the Perseus Cloud
The presence of significant amounts of intricate organic compounds has been detected in one of the closest regions where stars are being formed relative to the Solar System.
The molecular precursors of life are the chemical compounds that existed on early Earth and played a role in the origin of life. These compounds include amino acids, nucleotides, lipids, sugars and more.
Susana Iglesias-Groth, a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, has led a study that has discovered significant amounts of complex organic molecules in a star-forming region close to our Solar System. The findings have been published in the scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Organic molecules essential for life discovered in the Perseus Cloud
As reported, Susan Iglesias-Groth and Martina Marín-Dobrincic from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena have made a discovery in the Perseus Molecular Cloud's IC348 star-forming region. They have found an abundance of prebiotic molecules in this young star cluster that is around 2-3 million years old.
Scientist detected common molecules such as molecular hydrogen, hydroxyl, water, carbon dioxide, and ammonia, along with several carbon-bearing molecules that could contribute to the production of prebiotic molecules like hydrogen cyanide, acetylene, and benzene.
The discovery of these prebiotic molecules in interstellar sites close to star clusters suggests that they could be contributing to the formation of complex organic molecules in protoplanetary discs, eventually leading to the molecules of life. The researchers stress the significance of these findings, as they provide a potential route for the emergence of life.
The two researchers used data obtained from NASA's Spitzer satellite to detect the presence of prebiotic molecules in the Perseus Cloud. The next phase of their research involves using the advanced James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for further analysis.
“The spectroscopic capacity of the JWST could provide details about the spatial distribution of all these molecules, and extend the present search to others which are more complex, giving higher sensitivity and resolution which are essential to confirm the very probable presence of amino acids in the gas in this and in other star-forming regions” Susan Iglesias-Groth stated.
