Natural sugar discovered in cloud of dust and gas near centre of Milky Way
Astronomers have detected the simple sugar erythrulose in a dust cloud near the center of the Milky Way. This discovery suggests that essential building blocks for life can form in interstellar space.
Why it matters
Finding organic compounds in space provides evidence that the ingredients for life may be common throughout the galaxy, potentially seeding planets via comets.
The simple sugar erythrulose appears to be produced through chemical reactions on tiny interstellar dust grains. The simple sugar erythrulose appears to be produced through chemical reactions on tiny interstellar dust grains. Science Space jam: astronomers detect ‘raspberry sugar’ on dust cloud in Milky Way Detection of erythrulose shows compounds that are key to life can form in expanse between stars
Prefer the Guardian on Google A natural sugar found in raspberries and used in fake tan lotions has been detected in an enormous cloud of dust and gas that lurks near the heart of the Milky Way.
The discovery does not suggest that the galaxy revolves around a distant civilisation of pale, safety-conscious frugivores, but shows that compounds important for life can form in the frigid expanse between the stars.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in