Cosmic Clouds: The Origins of Life's Building Blocks

Laboratory experiments have shown that amino acids, the building blocks of life, can form in the frigid conditions of interstellar molecular gas clouds. By mimicking the conditions of these clouds, scientists were able to create carbamic acid, a simple amino acid. This finding strengthens the theory that the basic building blocks of life on Earth were formed in space before being delivered to our planet. The study also suggests that amino acids can form even without ionizing radiation and sets lower limits for the temperature at which amino acids can form. The next steps for researchers are to synthesize the formation of other organic compounds in conditions mimicking interstellar clouds and star-forming regions.