Life began 450 light years from Earth?

(NLDO) - American scientists have made a surprising discovery in the constellation Taurus, which could explain how life formed in the universe.

Writing on The Conversation, a research team led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-USA) said they have discovered large, complex molecules containing carbon and hydrogen in an interstellar gas cloud, which could be the seeds of life.

The cloud of gas and dust, called Rosette, is located 450 light-years from Earth and belongs to the constellation Taurus.

Rosette molecular cloud - Photo: ESA

According to the publication by the Science magazine team, the molecule in question is called 1-cyanopyrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), a type of molecule made up of rings of carbon atoms.

More importantly, 1-cyanopyrene is formed from a well-known substance, pyrene, when it reacts with cyanide.

This molecule is therefore considered a "tracer" of pyrene, since pyrene itself cannot be detected by telescopes.

Meanwhile, pyrene has been shown by other studies to be one of the things that formed the "backbone" of early life on Earth 3.7 billion years ago.

1-cyanopyrene is also the largest PAH detected in space.

Although it is still small compared to the PAHs commonly found on Earth, its survival in the harsh, radiation-filled interstellar space is nothing short of miraculous.

Furthermore, based on the ratio of pyrene required to produce 1-cyanopyrene, the new finding also demonstrates that this remote environment is rich in pyrene.

In other words, the first "seeds" of life seem to have been produced in that unlikely place.

This discovery also ties in with another important discovery of the past decade: propylene oxide, the first chiral molecule in the interstellar medium.

Chiral molecules are also a class of molecules that have been shown to be involved in the evolution of early terrestrial life forms.

"So far, our theory that the molecules that made up early life on Earth originated from space still looks promising," concluded Dr. Maria Cunningham, a member of the research team.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/soc-su-song-bat-dau-cach-dia-cau-450-nam-anh-sang-196241028112426378.htm