Sugar key for life on Earth found deep in our galaxy

Astronomers have detected a natural sugar found in raspberries in clouds of interstellar dust and gas near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The sweet discovery shows for the first time that compounds that are key to life can form in the vast expanse between stars and fuels optimism that other molecules important for the origins of life might be found in space. A team led by astronomers at Spain’s Center for Astrobiology detected the sugar, called erythrulose, which is made of four carbon atoms. Sugars play a pivotal role in living systems, helping to provide energy, build biological structures and form parts of genetic material such as RNA and DNA.