Erythrulose found in deep space
An international team led by researcher Izaskun Jiménez-Serra at the Center for Astrobiology (CAB) in Spain has identified the first true sugar molecule in interstellar space. The molecule, erythrulose, is a four-carbon sugar detected using radio telescope observations. While sugars like ribose and glucose have been found in meteorites, this is the first direct detection of a sugar in the interstellar medium — the vast space between stars where new stars and planets form.
Clues to the origin of life on Earth
The evidence suggests erythrulose formed from the combination of two-carbon molecules on the icy surfaces of dust grains in space. Scientists estimate that millions of tons of such sugars could have been delivered to early Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment period, roughly 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago. This delivery mechanism could have provided the organic material needed for the first metabolic and replication processes to emerge.
Search for more complex sugars
Co-author Carlos Briones called the detection very exciting because it opens the possibility of discovering other sugars in space, such as ribose — the sugar that forms the backbone of RNA. Researchers are already planning further studies to search for more complex sugars that could reveal more about how the molecular building blocks of life are distributed throughout our galaxy.