Did life on Earth really start in space?

A team of astronomers has discovered complex organic molecules in the disk of material surrounding the infant star V883 Orionis. The discovery suggests that the origins of life on Earth may have begun in deep space.

Where life really comes from is a big question for scientists - Photo: Popular Mechanics

A new study published in The Astronomical Journal has shocked the scientific community: complex organic molecules (COMs) considered to be precursors of life have just been discovered in the protoplanetary disk around the young star V883 Orionis, about 1,305 light years from Earth in the constellation Orion.

The research team, led by astronomer Abubakar Fadul from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (Germany), used the ALMA telescope located in Chile to observe the dusty gas region around the newborn star.

What is special is that they discovered two important compounds: ethylene glycol [(CH₂OH)₂] and glycolonitrile [HOCH₂CN] - compounds involved in the formation of adenine base, an essential component in DNA and RNA.

This is the first time these molecules have been confirmed in a protoplanetary disk, opening up the hypothesis that some of the building blocks for life on Earth may have formed before the planet existed.

Ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile are not direct signs of extraterrestrial life, but they play important roles in the formation of biological macromolecules such as proteins and enzymes.

Ethylene glycol is an intermediate in the synthesis of large organic compounds. Glycolononitrile has been shown to participate in the production of the nitrogenous base adenine, a structural component of DNA and RNA.

The discovery of these compounds in the intense radiation environment when V883 Orionis underwent an "accretion burst" further strengthens the hypothesis that prebiotic compounds could survive and evolve even in the harsh conditions of the early universe.

Scientists previously thought that the powerful radiation from newborn stars would destroy the fragile organic molecules. But observations from ALMA show that they not only survive, but continue to form as temperatures rise in the disk of gas and dust, causing cosmic ice to evaporate and release molecules into space.

Could the seeds of life come from comets? - Photo: NPR

Such complex organic molecules are not only found in protoplanetary disks but also in comets, icy bodies that formed on the outer edges of stellar systems. Scientists think some ancient comets collided with Earth billions of years ago, carrying organic components to the young planet.

When radiation from the Sun (or from a baby star like V883 Orionis) hits a comet's surface, it vaporizes the ice and releases molecules. The ALMA telescope has picked up radio signals indicating the presence of ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile, confirming that comets or similar objects could be "messengers of life" in the universe.

"This result is very encouraging, but we are still analyzing further spectral signals to verify the exact existence of the molecules and possibly find more complex compounds," researcher Kamber Schwarz (Max Planck Institute) shared in a press release.

While many questions remain unanswered, the research is a major step forward in understanding the origins of life and the role of interstellar space in providing the initial ingredients.

Is Earth the only place where life has sprouted, or have the seeds been scattered throughout the universe since the dawn of the stars? Further discoveries will help humanity open the door to its own deep past.

Back to topic

MINH HAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/su-song-tren-trai-dat-thuc-su-bat-dau-tu-ngoai-khong-gian-2025072621454423.htm