The James Webb Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying icy building blocks of life around two infant stars. Complex organic molecules (COMs) have been found in the gas and dust swirling around protostars, confirming predictions made based on Earth-based lab experiments.
The material around the low-mass protostar IRAS 2A shows similarities with the early stages of our solar system, with COMs detected in icy form. This discovery will help scientists understand the origins of larger molecules in space and how icy materials may be transported through planetary disks to deliver COMs to forming planets.
The team of researchers identified ices of acetaldehyde, ethanol, methyl formate, acetic acid, methane, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, and formic acid. The detection of sulfur dioxide is particularly significant as it may help researchers understand the formation of habitable planets.
The discovery of negative ions around the protostars hints at the complex composition of the ices present in the swirling gas and dust. This research has been published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal, showcasing the importance of the James Webb Space Telescope in furthering our understanding of the origins of life in the universe.
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