“Our findings are important because it is the first time anybody explained these carbon-rich molecules found in meteorites. They are similar to the molecules that make-up living things,” said Max Bernstein, a space scientist at NASA Ames.
Meteorites provide large chunks of carbon molecules that can be easily analyzed in the laboratory; recent studies show that most meteorites contain carbon molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—PAHs for short.
Produced by dying giant red stars, PAHs are very stable compounds and are the most carbon rich in the universe. When in infancy, they are observed to be relatively normal, but older meteorites almost always have oxygen or heavy hydrogen attached to them.
Scientists exposed normal PAHs to extreme cold and ultra violet radiation. And they managed to reproduce the hydrocarbons found in older meteors.
“It turns out, you only need water ice and radiation to change these molecules,” said Bernstein.
Once the molecular-size laboratory sample was retrieved, it was taken to Richard Zare’s laboratory at Stanford University, where researchers weighed the individual molecules. Findings showed that ices, modified by radiation, created new molecules.
These molecules, called quinones, received considerable attention by the astrobiology community because they are common to all life forms. They are potentially significant for the “origin of life” or the habitability of planets. How does a planet become habitable?
“Molecules from space helped to make the Earth the pleasant place that it is today,” said Allamandola, founder of the Ames Astrochemistry Laboratory.
“Our findings were new because we showed how these molecules formed. It was already known that these molecules were in meteorites and delivered to the planets,” said Bernstein.
“We now understand why these life-like carbon compounds are raining down on the Earth and other planets. Knowing this will help us search for life on other worlds by distinguishing these molecules from biomarkers,” said Bernstein.
NASA Identifies Carbon-rich Molecules in Meteors as the 'Origin of Life'.
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