The largest building block in biochemistry was discovered on a protoplanetary disk

Almost eleven years ago and already, using the network Radio telescope Alma (Atacama large millimeter / sub millimeter array) In Chile, Astronomers Brought forward Protoplanetary disk The OP-IRS 48 star is located at about 444 Light years From The sun In Ophiuchus constellation. “Op” refers to the snake-bearing galaxy Opioids, and IRS to the source. Infrared As Futura explained in an article, today we are recreating the content somewhat. Observations made using VLT (Very large telescope) இன் ‘ESOShowed before the alma that we are in the presence of a disk drilled by a central hole created by an invisible planet. Mass Estimated to be ten times ThursdayIf it is not another star.

Subsequent observations of the Alma revealed that the radio astronomers were replacing the expected ring. Cashews It soon became clear that there was unprecedented observational evidence in a model presented in 1995. Bear Barge Then stopped in the laboratoryAstronomy From Marseille (Lam) And by his colleague Joel Someria Then from the Geophysical and Industrial Flows Laboratory at Grenoble (Legge) This model suggests Cyclones Giant gases are responsible for capturing and absorbing the dust on the disk Gas It orbits the star, forming with such efficiency Comets And planets are also possible. It assumes the presence of anticyclonic loops, capable of surviving without being disconnected by disk rotation.

Futura had asked Bear Barge Let us talk in detail about the model he proposed with Joel Someria at that time and the problems he needs to solve. Cosmology Planetary, he revealed in an interview In them Items .

Off-IRS 48 and Exobiology

Today is the opposite External biology It is plagued by new observations made with Alma, so back to Op-IRS 48. As explained in an Eso newsletter, and published in the accompanying article Astronomy and astronomyResearchers at the Leiden Laboratory in the Netherlands were behind the new discovery. Molecule Was identified on a protoplanetary disk and, in addition, is organic because it contains methoxymethane with the CH formula₃OCH₃.

However, it turns out that this molecule is the precursor that allows the origin Chemical reactions Of Prebiotic molecules Large sizes that can be used for the appearance of life. We already know about the existence of this molecule and othersExternal biology Inside Clouds Molecules as we know them are surrounded by protoplanetary disks. But this is the first time that this molecule has been shown to be found on such a disk. Extraterrestrials Capable of producing and developing life forms similar to those we know on Earth.

” Thanks to these results, we can learn more about the origin of life on our planet, so we can get a better idea of ​​the possibilities for life on other planetary systems. It will be very interesting to see how these results fit into the bigger picture. Nashanty Brunken, a postgraduate student at Leiden Observatory and lead author of the published study, explains:

In fact, it is expected to be operational in the coming yearsELT (Very large telescope), In Korean Construction In Chile, the astronomical chemistry studies of the disk around OP-IRS 48 allowed it to move more precisely into its interior. exoterres Can appear.

Prebiotic molecules in ice

Decades ago, the astronomical chemistry study of molecular and dusty clouds by radio astronomers was astonishing. In addition to hydrogen molecules and silicate and carbonaceous dusts, more than 120 simple organic molecules have been found there. The Modeling These astronomical chemistry and observational data suggest that dust is surrounded by water ice, which includes these simple molecules. Carbon monoxide (Collar ‘Ammonia (NH₃), Methane (CH₄), Methanol (CH₃O), The Formaldehyde (H.₂CO) orAcid Formic acid (HCOOH) reacts with each other under the action of photons. UV Young stars born in these clouds.

We know that carbonaceous meteorites contain organic molecules Life bricksFrom Sugars And Amino acids Especially. But meteorites formed from dust in molecular clouds. So there is an integer Chemistry Prebiotic is the ability to stabilize the appearance of life on rocky outcrops Molecular clouds To the protoplanetary disks that form from these clouds.

Recently, however, it was shown that the dust trap discovered by Alma on Oph-IRS 48 contained precisely the ice-covered dust, and it was in this area that Alma’s observations revealed the presence of the methoxymethane molecule.

Therefore, we understand the statements of Alice Booth, a researcher at Leiden Labs and co – author of the published article: ” What makes this discovery even more exciting is that we now know that these large, complex molecules are available to the energy planets that form on the disk. It was not previously known because in most systems these molecules are hidden in ice “.

We also understand what his colleague Nyonke van der Marrell said: “ We are very happy that the complete path of these complex molecules, from star-forming clouds to comets, is beginning to pass through disk-forming disks. We hope that we can get closer to understanding the origin of molecules through further observations Prebiotics In our own solar system “.