Scientists detected erythritol, a sugar found in raspberries, near the center of the Milky Way
Jiménez-Serra emphasized that this finding is particularly relevant for the field of the origin of life. Erythritol modifies the configuration of trehalose, another sugar considered a precursor to the first nucleic acids that evolved into RNA and DNA.
A team of scientists detected erythritol, a type of sugar found in raspberries, in a cloud of gas and dust near the center of the Milky Way. This is the first time this substance has been identified outside the solar system.
The finding was published in the journal Nature Astronomy and adds evidence to the theory that the essential ingredients for life are common in space. The detection was made in the cloud known as G+0.693-0.027.
Erythritol, composed of four carbon atoms, was identified using the Yebes 40-meter and IRAM 30-meter radio telescopes, both located in Spain.
The signal was confirmed by comparing the obtained data with patterns previously measured in the laboratory, which allowed for the validation of the presence of this molecule in interstellar space.
According to the research team, sugars play a fundamental role in living systems: they provide energy, form biological structures, and are part of genetic material.
The co-author of the study, Izaskun Jiménez-Serra, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council, explained that the detection was made possible thanks to high-sensitivity observations, a wide frequency coverage, and very precise laboratory spectroscopic data.
Sugars had previously been detected in meteorites and asteroid samples, particularly ribose (a component of RNA) and glucose (a product of photosynthesis on Earth).
Samples from the asteroid Bennu, brought to Earth by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, also contained ribose and glucose, suggesting that these essential ingredients for biology are available in other parts of the solar system.
Until now, scientists had not been able to explain how erythritol could be generated under conditions simulating primitive Earth, as laboratory experiments produced insufficient concentrations of this substance.
The new finding in an interstellar cloud suggests that erythritol could have been incorporated into rocky planets like Earth during the early stages of their formation. According to the team, this molecule could be generated from simpler compounds on grains of space dust, and then integrate into more complex chemical systems.
According to Jiménez-Serra, one of the most important future objectives is to search for even more complex sugars and molecules that are direct precursors of RNA and other biologically relevant compounds.
