Raspberry sugar spotted in interstellar space, a sweet discovery that could reveal clues about life's origins
Scientists have detected the sugar erythrulose in the interstellar medium near the center of the Milky Way. This discovery suggests that complex organic molecules can form naturally in space, potentially providing clues about the origins of life.
Why it matters
Understanding the presence of prebiotic molecules in space helps researchers determine how the building blocks of life may have been distributed throughout the universe.
"Our work shows that sugars can form naturally in space."
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Click for next article The Milky Way's galactic center, as captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope in infrared. One new study has found sugar in interstellar space near the center of our galaxy. (Image credit: NASA/Caltech/Susan Stolovy (SSC, Caltech)) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Is space ... sweet? As it turns out, interstellar space has sugar - and it's the same type of sugar that's found in raspberries (and self-tanners, surprisingly).
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