In a breakthrough first, University of Maryland scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have announced the detection of large, complex, organic molecules beyond the Milky Way.
Often called “seeds of life” because these molecules make up the lifeforms found on Earth, the discovery was made within frozen ice particles around a young protostar, ST6, forming in a distant galaxy.
A statement from the research team announcing the potentially historic find said that discovering complex molecules with more than six atoms beyond Earth could “reshape our understanding of how the chemical ingredients for life spread throughout the cosmos.”
Led by University of Maryland and NASA research scientist Marta Sewilo, the research team used the powerful Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to gain an unprecedented view of the molecules within our closest galactic neighbor, the Large Magellanic Cloud, located about 160,000 light-years away from Earth. After focusing MIRI on the massive cloud of dust and ice where new stars are born, the team detected the telltale spectral signature of several seeds of life molecules, called complex organic molecules (COMs).
According to their study, the team saw five specific complex organic molecules (COM) embedded within the ice around a young protostar, “many of which can be found right here on Earth.” The seeds of life molecules spotted by the JWST included the common alcohols methanol and ethanol, methyl formate and acetaldehyde, which are primarily used in industrial applications on Earth, and acetic acid, which is the main component of vinegar.
The team said the latter had never been “conclusively” detected in space before this discovery. They also noted that these are the first detections of ethanol, methyl formate, and acetaldehyde in ice outside of the Milky Way.
Study co-author Will Rocha, a researcher from Leiden University in the Netherlands, said COMs like those spotted by JWST can occur in both gas and ice environments. While the process is still not well understood, the findings are consistent with previous models suggesting that reactions on the surface of grains of dust are likely the primary contributor to COM production.
“Our detection of COMs in ices supports these results,” Rocha explained. “The detection of icy COMs in the Large Magellanic Cloud provides evidence that these reactions can produce them effectively in a much harsher environment than in the solar neighborhood.”
In addition to the unexpected detections of seeds of life molecules, the team saw the spectral signature that resembles another complex organic molecule (COM), glycolaldehyde. However, the team said further investigation is necessary to confirm the presence of this sugar-related molecule and precursor of more complex biomolecules, including components of RNA.
Sewilo said discovering the complex seeds of life COMs at such a great distance associated with ice around a protostar would not have been possible before JWST’s “exceptional sensitivity” and “high angular resolution.”
“Before Webb, methanol had been the only complex organic molecule conclusively detected in ice around protostars, even in our own galaxy,” the researcher explained. “The exceptional quality of our new observations helped us gather an immense amount of information from a single spectrum, more than we’ve ever had before.”
The team was quick to caution that these discoveries do not prove the existence of life beyond Earth. However, they do suggest that the ingredients needed for life to emerge could survive the harsh conditions around a forming planet before becoming assimilated to the planet or planets after they are fully formed, “where life could flourish.”
Next, Sewilo is planning to expand the study to include several more protostars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The researcher also hopes to study similar stars within the Small Magellanic Cloud, which is the next closest galaxy to Earth, in hopes of expanding their dataset.
“We currently only have one source in the Large Magellanic Cloud and only four sources with detection of these complex organic molecules in ices in the Milky Way,” the professor explained. “We need larger samples from both to confirm our initial results that indicate differences in COM abundances between these two galaxies.”
“But with this discovery, we’ve made significant advancements in understanding how complex chemistry emerges in the universe and opening new possibilities for research into how life came to be,” Sewilo added.
The study “Protostars at Subsolar Metallicity: First Detection of Large Solid-State Complex Organic Molecules in the Large Magellanic Cloud” was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.