Astrochemists from the University of Hawai‘i have, for the first time, provided laboratory evidence that organic acids—important for metabolism—can form in conditions found in interstellar clouds. The formation occurs at extremely low temperatures and under ionizing radiation. Previously, it was believed that such molecules could form only on planets.
In the experiment, the researchers simulated conditions close to those of the interstellar medium and obtained carbonic acids involved in the Krebs cycle, a key energy process in living organisms.
Similar compounds were previously found in samples from the asteroid Ryugu and were also detected by the James Webb Space Telescope in interstellar ices. Together, these findings support the idea that the foundations of life could arise long before planets form—making the possibility of life beyond Earth increasingly plausible.
