Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS unveils the building blocks of life

NASA's SPHEREx infrared space telescope observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during its December close approach and detected organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide, and methane, indicating that the materials associated with life can be present in cometary material. The findings, published as a Research Note of the American Astronomical Society, support the idea that comets can deliver bio-relevant compounds, though they do not imply life itself. SPHEREx scans the sky in infrared with 102 color sensors, and captured data as 3I/ATLAS passed by the Sun before heading back into interstellar space.