Sugar molecules — building blocks of RNA — found around young star
August 30, 2012
Astronomers have for the first time found glycolaldehyde molecules around a young sun-like star. Glycolaldehyde is a an important pre-biotic simple sugar, consisting of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Through observations with ALMA the researchers have shown that the molecules are located within a region with an extent corresponding to our own solar system, and thus exist in the gas from which planets possibly are formed around the young star later in its evolution. (Credit: ESO)
A team of astronomers led by researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, have observed a simple sugar molecule in the gas surrounding a young star, proving that the building blocks of life were already present during planet formation.
They also found other complex organic molecules, including ethylene-glycol, methyl-formate and ethanol.
Sugar around new stars
“In the protoplanetary disc of gas and dust surrounding the young, newly formed star, we found glycolaldehyde molecules, which are a simple form of sugar.
It is one of the building blocks in the process that leads to the formation of RNA and the first step in the direction of biology,” explains astrophysicist Jes Jørgensen, Associate Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute and the Centre for Star and Planet Formation at the University of Copenhagen.
He explains that at first the gas and dust cloud is extremely cold (only around 10 degrees above absolute zero at minus 273 degrees C) and simple gases such as carbon monoxide and methane settle on particles of dust and solidify as ice. Here on the particles of dust, the otherwise volatile gases come close to each other and can bond together and form more complex molecules.
The star was observed with the new large international telescope, Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile. The ALMA telescopes are able to zoom in and study the details of newly formed stars and their rotating discs of dust and gas, which subsequently clumps together and forms planets. Among other things, the astronomers would like to investigate the gas for the presence of water vapor and examine the chemical composition for complex molecules.
When the star has been formed in the middle of the gas and dust cloud, it emits heat, and the inner parts of the rotating cloud surrounding the star is heated to around room temperature, after which the chemically complex molecules on the particles of dust evaporate as gas. This gas emits radiation as radio waves at low frequencies and it is this radiation that researchers can observe with the ALMA telescopes.
Precursors for biology before planets
The star is located only 400 light years from us — so, seen in an astronomical context, it is right in our own neighborhood. With the very high resolution of the new telescopes, researchers now have the opportunity to study the details of the dust and gas clouds.
In addition to the sugar molecules the researchers also saw signs of a number of other complex organic molecules, including ethylene-glycol, methyl-formate and ethanol.
“The complex molecules in the cloud surrounding the newly formed star tell us that the building blocks of life may be among the first formed,” said Jørgensen. ”One of the big questions is whether it is common that these organic molecules are formed so early in the star and planet formation process — and how complex they can become before they are incorporated into new planets.
“This could potentially tell us something about the possibility that life might arise elsewhere and whether precursors to biology are already present before the planets have been formed.”
References:
- Jes K. Jorgensen, Cecile Favre, Suzanne E. Bisschop, Tyler L. Bourke, Ewine F. van Dishoeck, Markus Schmalzl, Detection of the simplest sugar, glycolaldehyde, in a solar-type protostar with ALMA, Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2012, DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/757/1/L4
- Jes K. Jorgensen, Cecile Favre, Suzanne E. Bisschop, Tyler L. Bourke, Ewine F. van Dishoeck, Markus Schmalzl, Detection of the simplest sugar, glycolaldehyde, in a solar-type protostar with ALMA, arxiv.org/abs/1208.5498
Comments (12)
by african mango
It became cold and cloudy!
by Marcos Marin
Which PROVES God had too much alcohol when creating life. Too much methyl-formate and apparently also sugar high.
by Peter Kinnon
“Doesn’t it seem like conscious life is a natural progression from chemistry?”
Absolutely, Bri.
Indeed, in the final analysis, consciousness can be held to be an expression of chemistry. Furthermore it can be argued that chemistry should be considered to be the evolving entity.
Certainly, there is a strong case to be made for a much broader evolutionary model that extends beyond biology. From the formation of the chemical elements in the stars right through to the autonomous evolution of technology in the collective imagination of our species which is so apparent today.
A model which can give useful insights into short-term future outcomes
This, as well as trakk’s point,. is considered, very informally in “The Goldilocks Effect: What Has Serendipity Ever Done For Us?” (free download in e-book formats from my “Unusual Perspectives” website)
JFH – One possible answer to Fermi’s question “where are they?” arises from this broad evolutionary picture. Essentially a form of “cosmic censorship” which restricts the interaction of biological entities beyond their local domain. This conjecture is developed in chapter 17 of “Unusual Perspectives: An Escape From Tunnel Vision” which is also a free download.
by Bri
I love when I get a direct response to my statements. My question was rhetorical, and so was meant to stimulate debate. Although I haven’t read those books, these ideas are debated. I’m persueing a line of reasoning that Ray has written about. That life keeps progressing up a ladder of sorts. Similar to tool use. Life utilizes whats at hand to extend it’s sphere of influence. Ray champions the idea that we are an evolutionary phase of the universe, and that it is waking up. I think this lends credence to the fundimentality of god. That if the progression is taken to it’s logical extreme, you end up with a consciousness that is god like. In fact from my point of view they are one in the same. That it is responsible for the holodeck reality we are in. That ultimately Ray does believe in god, just not in organized religion. So the start of the premise is that organic molecules want to form life. That the whole shebang is a scaffold for life to take root on, and evolve to that end point of an even bigger singularity, as it were, of the whole universe being alive. Even the inorganic molecules. Like I’ve said before. I’m very animistic in my beliefs. Even empty space is just briming with the pregnancy of potential life expression.
by Gabriel
Well, if the universe does indeed ‘wake up’ in that everything becomes intelligent and capable of supporting life….then it will be exactly as you wish: everything is ‘alive’. It’s interesting though that you say Kurzweil actually does believe in God…he’s actually said more then once that, when asked if he believes God exists, he says “not yet”…so you could indeed take this as he does — the universe, he says, is the closest thing to God he can imagine, and it will one day become conscious…rather then the deist viewpoint in that a creator got everything started and turned away, he believes a conscious universe will wake up; hence “not yet”.
Indeed…Spirituality comes in all kinds of forms, and you could indeed call him and his beliefs to be very spiritual.
by JFH
I’ll check that out Peter. My own pet theory is that the astrophysicists have it wrong when they talk about phase I, II, and II civilizations. Thats a linear, star trek view of the future. I think it may be more likely that there is only a long pre-technological phase and a very short pre-singularity phase. That phase ends either with total annihilation or the singularity. Once singularity is achieved that species transcends and becomes something undetectable to pre-singularity species. Still… you’d think there’d be enough pre-singularity species out there to at least get a single radio signal.
by Himoura
That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Conscious life is the natural progression from chemistry? That’s so stupid it’s insane. So chemistry authors code now? It’s funny to me that people actually swallow this crap.
Codes can only be created. Information can only be created. The day any type of code or information system evolves I will admit that this is possible.
RNA is an instruction set. It does not evolve and cannot exist as a result of luck. Every theory science postulates in regard to the origin of life is false because it relies so heavily on nothing but ridiculously good luck.
U idiots have invented a purely deterministic view of life that makes no sense whatsoever. Quantum Mechanics and Murphy’s law cannot be ignored. Life as a result of chance is impossible.
by Bri
Doesn’t it seem like conscious life is a natural progression from chemistry?
by trakk
Not only the presence of organic chemicals/building blocks, but places (planets) with right conditions should also exist, to give birth to life.
by JFH
One more piece added to the Fermi Paradox. We now know that planets are everywhere and organic chemistry is rife throughout the known universe. So…where is everyone?
by Futuron
Life is everywhere perhaps, but maybe we are the only example of life in this entire galaxy to evolve a society and language complex enough to carry ever accumulating knowledge down through the millenia towards a technological singularity.
Or maybe going from those simple sugars to RNA to life is just stupendously unlikely, and while the potential building blocks of life are everywhere, they are extremely unlikely to grow into the further forms needed for actual life, making it very rare even in our 300 billion star galaxy.
by Marcos Marin
Wondering the same thing?