interstellar chemistry

Natural sugar discovered in cloud of dust and gas near centre of Milky Way

2 months ago

A natural sugar, erythrulose, found in raspberries and fake tan lotions, was detected in a dust cloud near the Milky Way's center.
The discovery shows life-important compounds can form in interstellar space, suggesting sugars may be more common than previously thought.
Erythrulose likely forms from chemical reactions on interstellar dust grains, despite frigid temperatures around -250°C.
This sugar can contribute to forming ribonucleotides, the building blocks of early genetic material like RNA.
Millions of tonnes of erythrulose may have rained on Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment, aiding prebiotic conditions for life's emergence.