A new study from the University of Leeds reveals that large reservoirs of precursor molecules necessary for life in the birthplaces of planets. This finding may help with the search for potential life supporting planets in other solar systems.
The research finding, according to Phys.org, was based on an analysis of unique fingerprints in light emitted from material surrounding young stars. This investigation has revealed what the researchers describe as “significant reservoirs” of large organic molecules necessary to form the basis of life.
The research was led by Dr John Ilee and he indicates that the findings suggest that the basic chemical conditions that resulted in life on Earth could exist more widely across the Galaxy.
The large organic molecules have been detected in protoplanetary disks circling newly formed stars. It is probable that a similar disk once surrounded our young Sun, leading to the formation of the planets that constitute the Solar System, including Earth. A protoplanetary disk is thought to “feed” a planet with material as it forms – material that could enable life to form.
The data was gathered using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) telescope. This telescope, located in Chile, is capable of detecting the very faint signals from the molecules in the coldest regions of outer space. The three molecules of interest are: cyanoacetylene (HC3N), acetonitrile (CH3CN), and cyclopropenylidene (c-C3H2).
The identified molecules represent the “stepping-stones” between simpler carbon-based molecules such as carbon monoxide, found in abundance in space, and more complex molecules that are required to create and sustain life.
Dr. Ilee explains: “These large complex organic molecules are found in various environments throughout space. Laboratory and theoretical studies have suggested that these molecules are the ‘raw ingredients’ for building molecules that are essential components in biological chemistry on Earth, creating sugars, amino acids and even the components of ribonucleic acid (RNA) under the right conditions.”
The molecules of interest emit light with different wavelengths, with each molecule producing a unique spectral ‘fingerprint’. Spotting these fingerprints enables researchers to identify the presence of the molecules and investigate their properties.
The research group are continuing to study the existence, location and abundance of the precursor molecules needed for life to form.
The research appears in the Astrophysical Journal. The paper is titled “Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) IX: Distribution and properties of the large organic molecules HC3N, CH3CN, and c-C3H.”
