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Scientists discover rare space alcohol that could explain how life began on the Earth
Astronomers have uncovered a cosmic clue that takes us closer to answering one of humanity's oldest questions, 'How did life begin on Earth?' It has been found out that a young star system, located roughly 330 light-years away, is awash in alcohol!
The discovered alcohol types and their isotopes are among the building blocks of the starting points for creating even complex organic molecules like amino acids.
Locating these bits in such a young planetary nursery suggests that the seeds of life might be spread throughout the galaxy, tied to how comets and icy materials form.
An alcohol-soaked star system
A discovery around the star HD 10045, which is about 330 light-years from Earth, has for the first time, allowed scientists to detect not only methanol, an alcohol compound, but also its rare isotopes in the protoplanetary disk encircling this young star. Published on June 5 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the
research
was based on data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile
What makes these bits the 'cosmic alcohol'?
Methanol is a simple alcohol that plays a crucial role in the formation of organic molecules like amino acids, the essential building blocks of life.
Although methanol itself has been spotted in other star-forming disks, detecting its isotopes, which are also much rarer variants of the same, is an important step in the discovery of life's building block on Earth.
As lead author Alice Booth from the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics explained, 'Finding these isotopes of methanol gives essential insight into the history of ingredients necessary to build life here on Earth.'
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Why is HD 100453 different from the others?
This star is about 1.6 times bigger than our Sun. Because it's larger, the disk of gas and dust around it is warmer. That warmth keeps methanol in gas form, even far from the star, making it much easier for telescopes like ALMA to detect. In contrast, stars smaller than our Sun have cooler disks, where methanol usually freezes into ice, making it much harder to spot.
Another interesting factor about it is that the amount of methanol, as compared to other organic molecules in this star's disk, is very similar to what we see in comets from our own solar system.
This gives scientists a clue that these icy materials might come together to form comets, which can then crash into young planets and deliver important ingredients for life.
'This research supports the idea that comets may have played a big role in delivering important organic material to the Earth billions of years ago,' said Milou Temmink, a PhD student who studies planet-forming disks at Leiden University
A mix of space chemicals has life-building potential
What scientists found goes beyond just simple methanol.
The study suggests there may be even more complex molecules hiding in the gas around the star, including things that could be the early building blocks of amino acids and sugars, which are key ingredients for life.
According to
, these discoveries include rare types of methanol like ¹³CH₃OH and possibly deuterated methanol. Their presence means that icy materials floating in space might survive even during the wild, chaotic process of planet formation.
What could it mean for life beyond Earth?
By following these organic molecules, be it tiny ice grains, comets, or to planets, scientists are starting to connect the dots on how life might form in different parts of the universe. The chemical mix found around the star HD 100453 could be very similar to what helped spark life on Earth billions of years ago.
