A molecule similar to amino acids in space

2008/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biokimika
• Astronomia

A team led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Radio Astronomy has discovered a molecule similar to an amino acid, the amino acetonitrile. It has been identified in the centre of the Milky Way in a very compact cloud of dust and gas at 25,000 light years (LMH).

The detection of organic molecules in space is not exceptional. Astronomers not only find gas and dust, but also basic organic substances. To do this, they analyze the light emitted by atoms and molecules. Each one emits at very specific frequencies and astronomers analyze this light to know which compounds there are.

The discovery of molecules like the amino acetonitrile is an important discovery, since it is not easy to produce at extreme temperatures that are usually in space. If it is too hot they get rid of it and if it is too cold they cannot form.