NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected, for the first time, a new carbon compound essential for the formation of life. The discovery was made by a team of international scientists.
Known as CH 3+ , the molecule was detected in a young star system, called d203-506 and located in the Orion Nebula, some 1,350 light-years from Earth.
According to the US space agency, carbon compounds “form the basis of all known life”. Therefore, “they are especially interesting for understanding how life developed on Earth and how it could develop in other parts of our universe.”
Marie-Aline Martin-Drumel, a researcher at the University of Paris-Saclay, in France, explains that this discovery “not only validates Webb’s incredible sensitivity, but also confirms the importance of CH 3 in interstellar chemistry.”
The d203-506 system is composed of a small red dwarf and is bombarded by strong ultraviolet (UV) light from nearby hot, young stars.
Scientists believe that most planet-forming disks experience a period of intense ultraviolet radiation, as stars tend to form in clusters that include massive ultraviolet light-producing stars.
Recent studies indicate that UV radiation is normally expected to be capable of destroying complex organic molecules, so the presence of the newly discovered carbon compound surprised the researchers. According to NASA scientists, UV radiation can provide the energy source necessary for the formation of the CH 3+ molecule. Once formed, it can trigger additional chemical reactions to build more complex carbon molecules.
“This shows that ultraviolet radiation can completely change the chemistry of a protoplanetary disk. In fact, it can play a fundamental role in the first chemical stages of the origins of life,” said Olivier Berné of the French National Center for Scientific Research. in Toulouse.
Source: TSF
