Molecule in space can provide answers about life – Västervikstidningen

The molecule, iso propylcyanid, consisting of a branched carbon skeleton and is the most complex organic molecule so far detected in the interstellar medium, ie in the “gap” between the stars.

The finding, presented in the journal Science, suggests that organic molecules space is more common than was previously thought. The discovery also those who believe that life on earth, or at least its building blocks, originally from outer space water on his mill.

-amino acids on earth are the building blocks of proteins and proteins are essential for life. The question lurking in the background is whether there is life elsewhere in our galaxy, says lead researcher Arnold Belloche at the German Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy BBC News.

The discovery was made using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile . The researchers focused on a large star-forming gas clouds in our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

Any substance that is captured by the telescope emit a specific spectrum, a “fingerprint” of different frequencies from which scientists can figure out what topic it concerns.