In the course of laboratory experiments, a team of researchers found additional hints that the main components necessary for the origin of life on Earth were delivered from space.
So far we don’t know for sure if life is common in the Universe, but we are almost sure that there are enough building blocks for space.
-Michel Nuevo, lead author of the study from the Research Center. Ames NASA
Despite the decades-long search for an answer to the question of the origin of life on our planet, scientists still cannot say for sure: were the ingredients necessary for it present in the Earth since its formation or were they brought by asteroids and comets? The new work hints that the second scenario is more likely.
The most important component for life is sugar, because it provides energy, and one of its types, 2-deoxyribose, is part of DNA. In our laboratory, we recreated conditions similar to those that dominate space, and found that they are excellent for the spontaneous creation of 2-deoxyribose.
-authors of the study
Vast, cold areas with low density between the stars are not as deserted as it may seem. The interstellar medium contains dust and gases, which are bombarded by high-energy photons and particles, which gives an impetus to chemical reactions that proceed very slowly at low temperatures.
During the experiments, the scientists tried to recreate these conditions as accurately as possible. To begin with, they placed a sample of aluminum in the freezer, cooling it almost to absolute zero. Then they concluded it in a vacuum chamber and gave it a gas mixture of water and methanol, similar to that found in the interstellar medium. At the last stage, the researchers “bathed” the sample in the ultraviolet, simulating the emission of stars. After irradiation, the team studied the resulting material and found that as a result of its actions, various sugar derivatives, as well as 2-deoxyribose, were created.
Intrigued by their results, the scientists analyzed samples from several carbon meteorites that were found in recent years, and found evidence of the presence of alcohols and deoxy sugar acids, not exactly 2-deoxyribose, but the researchers noted that their sample was small, and this complex sugar, may be found in other meteorites.
The results added to the growing list of organic compounds found in visiting from space and recreated in laboratories.
The universe is an organic chemist. She has big beakers and a lot of time. The result is a lot of organic material, part of which is important for life.
-Scott Sandford, co-author of the research from the Research Center. Ames NASA
Scientists believe that their results further confirm the theory that the main ingredients for life came from space, and the Earth needed only to have suitable conditions for the transition from a cocktail from building blocks to living organisms.
Theory of bringing life from space confirmed
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