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For the first time At one time in history, astronomers discovered a sugar molecule floating among the planet’s gas clouds Interstellar space.
Erythrulose contains four carbon atoms and is found naturally on Earth in some fruits. Its presence 26,000 light-years away could help solve the mystery of its existence The origin of life on our planet.
The study was published this week in Nature astronomy. The team, led by Isascón Jiménez Serra, analyzed data captured by radio telescopes in Spain to determine the signature of the molecule in the microwave frequencies it produces as it rotates.
Sugar molecules are Essential for life. It nourishes cells and is part of RNA and DNA. However, scientists still do not know how it accumulated in sufficiently large quantities on early Earth. One possibility is that some of the molecules did not originate on the planet, but rather arrived on Earth via meteorites.
In the new study, the researchers focused on the molecular cloud G+0.693−0.027, a location they did not choose at random. G+0.693−0.027 is among the most particle-rich regions on record milky way. Located near Supermassive black hole At the galactic center, collisions with another cloud appear to have turned the area into a veritable chemical factory. Researchers have already discovered alcohols, aldehydes, urea, ethanolamine, hydroxylamine, and dozens of complex organic molecules. Now, sugar is in the mix.
The idea that some sugars might come from space gained momentum in December 2025, when Scientists confirmed that Asteroid Bennu Contains ribose and other monosaccharides. Ribose is the primary sugar in ribonucleic acid (RNA). The new study reveals another type of space sugar, which is from the ketose family. On Earth, it is found in suntan lotions and berries.
The data came from two radio telescopes located in Spain. One is at the Yepes Observatory, northeast of Madrid, while the other is at the Institute of Millimeter-Scale Radio Astronomy, which is located near a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Jesus R. said: “The presence of multiple prebiotic organic molecules in meteorites and asteroids is well known, including some monosaccharides, but their origin is unclear,” said Flores, a professor at the University of Vigo who was not involved in the study. Scientific Information Center Spain. “One obvious possibility is that they form, initially, in the so-called interstellar medium. However, to date, no true sugars have been discovered there. Erythrulose, a four-carbon ketone sugar, is the first.”
