New Molecule Found in Space Hints at Origins of Life

Discovered 27,000 light-years away from Earth, astronomers have found an unusual carbon-based molecule that could hint at the origins of life, according to a new study.

The molecule, isopropyl cyanide, whose branched structure makes it rather distinct, is a common feature in life-essential molecules like amino acids, which produce proteins. The new discovery lends weight to the idea that such molecules are produced early in a star's formation - even before planets such as Earth formed.

"Understanding the production of organic material at the early stages of star formation is critical to piecing together the gradual progression from simple molecules to potentially life-bearing chemistry," lead author Arnaud Belloche said in a statement.

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA Observatory, astronomers - from Cornell University, the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the University of Cologne in Germany - discovered hints of the molecule in the form of emitted radio waves in a giant gas cloud known as Sagittarius B2 in interstellar space.

Sagittarius B2 is a star-forming region about 390 light-years from the center of the Milky Way.

Organic molecules usually found in these star-forming regions consist of a single "backbone" of carbon atoms arranged in a straight chain. But the carbon structure of isopropyl cyanide is more complex, making it the first interstellar detection of such a complex organic molecule, according to Rob Garrod, Cornell senior research associate at the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research.

With ALMA, the researchers examined the chemical makeup of Sagittarius B2 - looking for fingerprints of new interstellar molecules - with sensitivity and resolution 10 times greater than previous surveys.

In doing so they stumbled upon 50 individual features of isopropyl cyanide, along with another molecule found called normal-propyl cyanide, making them the largest molecules yet detected in any star-forming region.

This breakthrough research suggests that such complex molecules can be formed in interstellar space and may ultimately find their way to the surfaces of planets.

The findings were published in the journal Science.