One of the Building Blocks of Life Can Form in the Harsh Environment of Deep Space Itself. No Star Required

[Seldom Bucket]

In many ways, stars are the engines of creation. Their energy drives a whole host of processes necessary for life. Scientists thought that stellar radiation is needed to create compounds like the amino acid glycine, one of the building blocks of life.


But a new study has found that glycine detected in comets formed in deep interstellar space when there was no stellar energy.


What natural processes gave rise to the building blocks that gave rise to life? That question drives a lot of research. We know that amino acids like glycine are essential for life, but scientists lack a complete understanding of how those building blocks form.



Out of the approximately 500 known amino acids, glycine is the simplest of them and is one of the 20 amino acids in the genetic code. It’s not one of the essential amino acids because it can be synthesized in the human body.

One of the Building Blocks of Life Can Form in the Harsh Environment of Deep Space Itself. No Star Required - Universe Today

A team of scientists has found that the amino acid glycine can be created without any stellar energy input. That has serious implications for life.

www.universetoday.com