Researchers have identified a complex sugar molecule in a distant molecular cloud, marking the first such discovery in interstellar space. The finding supports theories that sugars essential for life may have reached early Earth from space.
Izaskun Jiménez-Serra of the Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid led the team that targeted the molecular cloud G+0.693−0.027, located 26,700 light years away. They used radio telescopes to search for simple sugars but instead detected erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar also found in raspberries.
“When I started looking at the signals, I was like, ‘I can’t believe this!’” Jiménez-Serra said. “This is really getting detected! And it’s a huge amount of sugar.”
The discovery suggests erythrulose formed on icy dust grains before the solar system existed. It may have later been delivered to Earth by asteroids and comets during the Late Heavy Bombardment roughly 4 billion years ago, potentially supplying between 500,000 and 50 million tonnes.
“This is a very exciting finding,” said Yoshihiro Furukawa of Tohoku University. Niels Ligterink of TU Delft noted that the ingredients for biochemistry appear spread throughout the galaxy. The study was published in Nature Astronomy.