Organic, prebiotic molecule discovered in a protostar 450 light-years away

Discover of the molecule could indicate the presence of life

A team of astronomers led by Queen Mary University of London reports detection of an organic, pre-biotic molecule in the material from which stars and planets form. Scientists believe the new finding could help solve one of the greatest mysteries: how life emerged on Earth?

The pre-biotic molecule that astronomers identified in star-forming material is glycolonitrile (HOCH2CN), also known as hydroxyacetonitrile or formaldehyde cyanohydrin.

This molecule plays a significant role in the formation of adenine, one of the nucleobases that form both DNA and RNA in living cells. Glycolonitrile is a colourless liquid and dissolves in ether and water. It is extremely hazardous for humans as it decomposes readily into formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.

Astronomers found glycolonitrile in a protostar called IRAS16293-2422 B. In an earlier study, researchers had also found evidence for the presence of methyl isocyanate - an isomer of glycolonitrile - in the same protostar.

This sun-like protostar sits in the constellation of Ophiuchus and is located about 450 light-years from Earth. Glycolonitrile was identified in a region of star formation known as rho Ophiuchi. This warm, dense region not only houses young, budding stars at an early stage of evolution but is also known to provide conditions similar to those in which our own Solar System was formed.

The team investigated IRAS16293-2422 B using the data from the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array telescope in Chile and found evidence for the presence of glycolonitrile in the interstellar medium - the material from which the protostar is forming. The team identified the chemical signatures of glycolonitrile and also deduced the conditions in which the molecule was found.

Using chemical modelling, they reproduced the observed data and examined the chemical processes to understand the origin of this molecule.

"We have shown that this important pre-biotic molecule can be formed in the material from which stars and planets emerge, taking us a step closer to identifying the processes that may have led to the origin of life on Earth," said Shaoshan Zeng, the lead author of the study.

The findings of the study are published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters.