Space & Astronomy

New find hints at potential cosmic origin for the building blocks of life

By T.K. Randall
July 25, 2025 ·  0 comments

Image: V883 Orionis
Credit: A. Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF)/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / CC BY 4.0 (adapted) In a potentially groundbreaking discovery, scientists have found 17 different complex organic molecules in the disc surrounding protostar V883 Orionis.

These include ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile - two potential precursors to important building blocks of life - as well as molecules that may be chemically related to nucleobases like adenine which is found in DNA.

The crucial aspect of this discovery is not that life itself exists around V883 Orionis, but that these molecules had survived the highly volatile protostar phase, thus making them available to any planets that might go on to form in that solar system.The discovery not only raises the possibility that these types of molecules might have also once arrived on Earth from space (rather than forming on Earth directly), but also suggests that they (and subsequently life itself) may be pretty commonplace throughout the cosmos.

"Finding these molecules in such an environment is really exciting because this is the last stage after the star is formed but before the planet is forming," team leader Abubakar Fadul told IFL Science.

"If these molecules could exist in such an environment and survive during the star formation, it would really give us a strong hint that those molecules eventually could incorporate into planets and eventually could make a favorable environment for life to emerge in the future."

Source: IFL Science | Comments (0)

Tags: Life