NASA Discovers Life's Building Blocks Are Common In Space

NASA - October 11, 2005

quote: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/oct/H...s_in_Space.html

After A team of NASA exobiology researchers revealed today organic chemicals that play a crucial role in the chemistry of life are common in space.

"Our work shows a class of compounds that is critical to biochemistry is prevalent throughout the universe," said Douglas Hudgins, an astronomer at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. He is principal author of a study detailing the team's findings that appears in the Oct. 10 issue of the Astrophysical Journal.

"NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has shown complex organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are found in every nook and cranny of our galaxy. While this is important to astronomers, it has been of little interest to astrobiologists, scientists who search for life beyond Earth. Normal PAHs aren't really important to biology," Hudgins said. "However, our work shows the lion's share of the PAHs in space also carry nitrogen in their structures. That changes everything."

"Much of the chemistry of life, including DNA, requires organic molecules that contain nitrogen," said team member Louis Allamandola, an astrochemist at Ames. "Chlorophyll, the substance that enables photosynthesis in plants, is a good example of this class of compounds, called polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles, or PANHs. Ironically, PANHs are formed in abundance around dying stars. So even in death, the seeds of life are sewn," Allamandola said.


This is the type of discovery that is going to change the way we look at our Galaxy , the Universe and its potential to harbor life!

quote: http://www.astrochem.org/PANHS.html

"Not only are nitrogen containing aromatic hydrocarbons the information carrying molecules in the DNA and RNA that make up all living matter as we know it, they are found in many biologically important species. For example, caffeine and the main ingredient in chocolate are among these kinds of molecule (Figure 2). Seeing their signature across the Universe tells us they are accessible to young, habitable planets just about everywhere."

< snip >

The most common scientific theory for the origin of life on Earth is that somewhere in the vast, but simple, chemical resources available on the early Earth, conditions favored the formation of more complex chemical compounds and chemical processes which eventually led to life. However, this theory was conceived at a time when it was thought space was barren of complex organics because interstellar radiation is too harsh, the distances too great, and violent shocks too frequent to support complex chemistry, let alone survival of large molecules and their transport to planetary surfaces. In sharp contrast to that picture, this new work shows that the early chemical steps believed to be important for the origin of life do not require a previously formed planet to occur. Instead, some of the chemicals are already present throughout space long before planet formation occurs and, if they land in a hospitable environment, can help jump-start the origin of life.


*credit goes to lost_sharman


:alien:

thats great news but if they find life on other planets do you think it will be intelligent or like annimals. Well even if they do find stupid life on other planets that means theres more life out there and it could be intelligent which i believe is true,theres is intelligent life out there and they've been visiting us for a long, long time.

I'd be willing to bet $1,000 there's other intelligent life in the Universe...

me too.

I wish I had 1000 bucks to bet with LOL