Cosmic Cockroaches

[Ghost Ship]

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In the end, PAHs may prove tough enough for genesis itself. Cockroaches, eat your hearts out.

Their ability to survive may be key to life on Earth. Many astronomers are convinced that a supernova exploded in our corner of the galaxy 4-to-5 billion years ago just as the solar system was coalescing from primitive interstellar gas. In one scenario of life's origins, PAHs survived and made their way to our planet. It turns out that stacks of PAHs can form in water—think, primordial seas—and provide a scaffold for nucleic acids with architectural properties akin to RNA and DNA.

In the end, PAHs may prove tough enough for genesis itself. Cockroaches, eat your hearts out.