You’ll Never Guess What Tasty Molecule Astronomers Just Detected In Space

Detection of Erythrulose in G+0.693-0.027

Researchers identified the signature of erythrulose while observing a dense cloud of gas and dust known as G+0.693-0.027, located near the heart of the Milky Way. While the researchers initially searched for three-carbon sugars without success, the detection of this four-carbon molecule came as an unexpected result.

The discovery is significant because it provides direct evidence that complex sugars can form in the extreme cold of the interstellar medium, where temperatures hover around -250C. The research, published in Nature Astronomy, indicates that erythrulose likely forms through chemical reactions occurring on the surfaces of microscopic interstellar dust grains. These reactions combine other abundant organic compounds, specifically glycolaldehyde and ethylene glycol.

Implications for the Origins of Life

The presence of sugar in space offers a potential explanation for how Earth became seeded with the necessary ingredients for early biological development. Scientists have long noted that simple sugars would have struggled to form spontaneously on the young Earth. The detection of erythrulose supports the theory that organic material is delivered to planets via cometary dust and asteroid impacts.

Researchers estimate that millions of tonnes of such organic material may have reached Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment, a period of intense asteroid and comet activity. This influx of molecules could have enriched the planet’s prebiotic environment, contributing to the synthesis of early biomolecules, including the ribonucleotides required for RNA.

Erythrulose and Prebiotic Chemistry

Erythrulose is a naturally occurring sugar found in trace amounts in raspberries and is commonly used in commercial cosmetic products like fake tan lotions. In a biological context, it reacts with amino acids in a process known as the Maillard reaction, which creates brown polymers. This same reaction is responsible for the browning of cooked meats.

Prof. Yoshihiro Furukawa of Tohoku University, who previously identified sugars in samples from Bennu, emphasized the importance of this interstellar detection.

“Sugars formed in the interstellar medium can reach Earth and other planets via cometary dust … This supply may have helped facilitate the emergence of life, if planetary environments were able to build life from such molecules, although that process itself remains unclear.”

While the detection confirms that the building blocks of life are present in the galaxy, the exact pathway from these interstellar molecules to the first living organisms remains a subject of ongoing research.