Life Procreating Molecule Found in Habitable Part of Galaxy!

In a potentially habitable region of our galaxy, a sugar molecule linked to origin of life is recently discovered. This sugar molecule called, Glycolaldehyde was spotted in a large star-forming area of space around 26,000 light years away from Earth. This habitable area is considered to be situated in the less chaotic outer regions of the Milky Way.

This discovery suggests that the sugar molecule may be common across the universe, which is indeed good news for the extra-terrestrial life seekers. Serena Viti of University College London, said in a press release; “This is an important discovery as it is the first time glycolaldehyde, a basic sugar, has been detected towards a star-forming region where planets that could potentially harbor life may exist.”

Glycolaldehyde is a key ingredient for life. It helps to build Ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is thought to be the central molecule involved in the origin of life on Earth. Previously this life-procreating sugar molecule had only been observed towards the center of the galaxy, where conditions are thought to be too extreme to host habitable planets.

A monosaccharide sugar, glycolaldehyde is the basic unit of carbohydrates. It can react with the chemical propenal to form to ribose which is the building block of RNA. Keith Mason, chief executive of England’s Science and Technology Facilities Council said; “This discovery of an organic sugar molecule in a star forming region of space is very exciting and will provide incredibly useful information in our search for alien life.”

These findings were made with IRAM radio telescope in France and were announced on Tuesday. They will soon be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

It is amazing to know that a building block of life is found in habitable regions of our galaxy. You know why it is even more exciting? Because it gives us a reason to believe that there may be some form of life existing in some part of the universe that we still are not aware off!