Sign Of Alien Life? Scientists Detect New Organic Molecule In Space

A team of scientists was able to discover and identify a new organic molecule near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. According to their findings, the molecule could play a key role in the formation of alien life in space.

The scientists were able to carry out their discovery using a combination of laboratory experiments and astronomical observations. A study detailing their findings has been submitted for publication through ArXiv.

The experiments were conducted through the Center for Astrochemical Studies of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany. The astronomical observations, on the other hand, were carried out by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics.

Through their study, the scientists were able to detect a new type of organic molecule known as propargylimine. According to the scientists, the molecule could play an important role in the formation of amino acids, which serve as vital components in the emergence of life.

“The peculiarity of this chemical species lays in its carbon-nitrogen double bond, which gives it a high reactivity,” Luca Bizzocchi, co-author of the study said in a statement.

“With this double bond, it becomes a fundamental constituent of the chemical chains that lead from the simplest and most abundant molecules in space containing carbon and nitrogen - for example formaldehyde (H2CO) and ammonia (NH3), respectively - to the more complex amino acids, the fundamental building blocks of terrestrial biology,” he added.

Propargylimine was discovered near the center of the galaxy in a region known as the Central Molecular Zone. Astrochemists have been heavily interested in this region due to its abundance of complex organic molecules, such as propylene oxide, ethyl formate and iso-propyl cyanide.

Known as prebiotic molecules, the scientists noted that these organic materials are also considered as the building blocks of life due to the role they play in the formation of RNA and DNA.

“Molecules with such a carbon–nitrogen double bond take part in the so-called Strecker synthesis, a chemical process widely used to synthesize amino acids in laboratory,” the MPE explained. “Under favorable conditions, similar reactions are thought to occur also in a number of extraterrestrial environments such as the frozen mantles of interstellar dust or asteroid surfaces.”