Interstellar Carbon Discovery: The Origin of Life Unveiled

A team led by MIT researchers has detected pyrene, a large organic molecule, in a distant interstellar cloud. This discovery is crucial for understanding the origins of life, as pyrene and similar molecules likely contributed to the formation of early life on Earth.

In a groundbreaking discovery, MIT researchers have identified pyrene, a significant carbon-based molecule, in a remote interstellar cloud. The findings, published in the journal Science, reveal how such complex molecules could have influenced the beginnings of life on Earth.

Spanning 26 carbon atoms, pyrene is the largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon detected in space, defying previous beliefs that such molecules couldn't survive star formation's harsh conditions. The discovery suggests that these compounds remained intact from the cold molecular cloud to our Solar System's formation.

Using West Virginia's Green Bank Telescope, the team observed 1-cyanopyrene, a tracer for pyrene, in the Taurus molecular cloud. This indicates substantial quantities of pyrene in this region, further supporting theories that life's building blocks on Earth originated from space. The research marks another step in unraveling the universe's complex chemistry that facilitated life.

(With inputs from agencies.)