Astronomers have discovered an important building block for life in the disk of dust and gas surrounding infant sun-like stars.
The young, triple-star system IRAS 16293-2422 is located approximately 400 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus. The infant stars in this system have a similar mass to the sun, but are still in the early stages of formation.
Researchers have detected a complex organic molecule called methyl isocyanate near the stars. This is the first time that the molecule, which can be a precursor to life, has been found around sun-like protostars, according to a statement from the European Southern Observatory
Models suggest that the molecules likely formed on "icy particles under very cold conditions that are similar to those in interstellar space," Ligterink said.
RNA forming on icy particles that would then have collided with a planet after it cooled down where the RNA then became life.
https://www.space.com/37141-life-building-block-found-young-stars.html
The young, triple-star system IRAS 16293-2422 is located approximately 400 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus. The infant stars in this system have a similar mass to the sun, but are still in the early stages of formation.
Researchers have detected a complex organic molecule called methyl isocyanate near the stars. This is the first time that the molecule, which can be a precursor to life, has been found around sun-like protostars, according to a statement from the European Southern Observatory
Models suggest that the molecules likely formed on "icy particles under very cold conditions that are similar to those in interstellar space," Ligterink said.
RNA forming on icy particles that would then have collided with a planet after it cooled down where the RNA then became life.
https://www.space.com/37141-life-building-block-found-young-stars.html
