Life's Building Blocks Found in Perseus Cloud

Researchers have discovered the presence of numerous prebiotic molecules in the star formation region IC348 of the Perseus Molecular Cloud, a young star cluster some 2-3 million years old. The Perseus Cloud is one of the star-forming regions closest to the Solar System. The presence of prebiotic molecules at interstellar sites so close to star clusters suggests the possibility that accretion processes are taking place on young planets which could contribute to the formation of complex organic molecules. The next step will be to use the powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to confirm the very probable presence of amino acids in the gas in this and in other star-forming regions.