A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal has brought scientists closer to solving the mystery of the formation of the so-called 'building molecules' involved in the creation of more complex forms of biological life. The new work is based on data from the Hershel space telescope of the European Space Agency (ESA).
So the researchers found that the ultraviolet light that stars emit is the main parameter in the formation of building molecules, and not at all the consequences of the collision of cosmic bodies in the form of turbulence, as was previously thought.
Analyzing data on the Orion Nebula, the closest star-forming region to Earth, has allowed astronomers to study the carbon-containing particles of the Orion Nebula and their effect on the formation of massive stars. Comparing the number, temperature and movement of carbon-hydrogen (CH, or methylidine) molecules, a positively charged carbon-hydrogen ion (CH +) and a parent particle in relation to them – a positively charged carbon ion (C +), they came to a very unambiguous conclusion:
'On Earth, the Sun is the energy source needed for life to exist. In turn, starlight is a source of energy that is necessary for the synthesis of those very substances, chemical precursors of compounds necessary for the formation of living organisms, '' concluded Patrick Morris, lead author of the new work and researcher at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center of California Institute of Technology, USA.
Sources: Phys
