Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Science
Related: About this forumAn important building block of life can form long before stars
It forms in dense interstellar clouds well before they transform into new stars and planets.
BY
AMIT MALEWAR
NOVEMBER 18, 2020
Comets are the most pristine material in our Solar System and reflect the molecular composition present when our solar system form. The recognition of glycine in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and samples returned them to Earth from the Stardust mission proposes that amino acids, for example, glycine, form a long time before stars. However, until recently, it was believed that glycine development required energy, setting clear limitations to the environment in which it tends to be formed.
In the new study, an international team of astrophysicists and astrochemical modelers mostly based at the Laboratory for Astrophysics at Leiden Observatory, the Netherlands, suggest that glycine, and very likely other amino acids, form in dense interstellar clouds well before they transform into new stars and planets. Glycine can form on the surface of icy dust grains, in the absence of energy, through dark chemistry.
Dr. Sergio Ioppolo, from the Queen Mary University of London and lead author of the article, said: Dark chemistry refers to chemistry without the need of energetic radiation. In the laboratory, we were able to simulate the conditions in dark interstellar clouds where thin layers of ice cover cold dust particles and subsequently processed by impacting atoms causing precursor species to fragment and reactive intermediates to recombine.
Scientists initially indicated that methylamine, the precursor species of glycine detected in the coma state of the comet 67P, could form. Then, using a unique ultra-high vacuum setup, equipped with a series of atomic beamlines and accurate diagnostic tools, they affirmed glycine could also be formed and that the presence of water ice was essential in this process.
More:
https://www.techexplorist.com/important-building-block-life-form-long-before-stars/36230/
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 760 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (6)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
An important building block of life can form long before stars (Original Post)
Judi Lynn
Nov 2020
OP
Wounded Bear
(58,598 posts)1. Good stuff! Thanks for the link! nt
CatLady78
(1,041 posts)2. K & R.nt