Study Suggests Life's Building Blocks May Originate in Space

In a groundbreaking study published on July 27, 2025, an international team of astronomers utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has reported the detection of complex organic molecules (COMs) in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the distant star V883 Orionis. Located approximately 1,350 light-years away in the constellation Orion, V883 Orionis has revealed the presence of ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile—two molecules that may serve as precursors to amino acids and nucleotides essential for life.

The research was spearheaded by Abubakar Fadul, a visiting scientist with the Department of Planet and Star Formation at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA). The findings were published in the Astronomical Journal and the Astrophysical Journal, detailing how these organic compounds challenge the traditional understanding of life's origins, suggesting that the building blocks of life might be more prevalent throughout the universe than previously thought.

According to Dr. Kamber Schwarz, an MPIA scientist and co-author of the study, these findings contradict the 'reset scenario,' which posits that complex organic molecules are destroyed during the violent processes of stellar evolution and must be recreated in the protoplanetary disk. Instead, Schwarz explains, "Our results suggest that protoplanetary discs inherit complex molecules from earlier stages, and the formation of complex molecules can continue during the protoplanetary disk stage." This revelation indicates that the conditions necessary for life’s building blocks may exist from the earliest stages of solar system development.

The significance of these findings extends beyond mere academic interest; they provide essential insights into the chemical processes that may lead to the emergence of life. Fadul states, "Our finding points to a straight line of chemical enrichment and increasing complexity between interstellar clouds and fully evolved planetary systems." The research implies that as protoplanetary disks evolve into planetary systems, the abundance and complexity of COMs increase, thus enhancing the potential for life.

This discovery also aligns with previous observations that have identified simpler organic molecules, such as methanol, in stellar nurseries. Dr. Tushar Suhasaria, head of MPIA's Origins of Life Lab, emphasizes that the same stellar nurseries that birthed stars may also host complex compounds like those discovered around V883 Orionis. Suhasaria notes, "We found ethylene glycol could form by UV irradiation of ethanolamine, which supports the idea that these molecules could form in those environments."

Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of comets and asteroids in the distribution of organic materials within the solar system. The presence of amino acids, sugars, and nucleobases found in these bodies suggests that the essential ingredients for life may be more widespread than previously believed. The outgassing of comets, which occurs as they approach the Sun, allows astronomers to study the spectral signatures of these organic molecules, reinforcing the notion that complex chemistry can exist in various celestial environments.

Despite the excitement surrounding these findings, researchers acknowledge that further investigation is necessary. Dr. Schwarz mentioned, “While this result is exciting, we still haven't disentangled all the signatures we found in our spectra. Higher resolution data will confirm the detections of ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile, and may even reveal more complex chemicals.” This ongoing research will likely enhance our understanding of where life's building blocks are located and how they may have been distributed across the cosmos.

As the scientific community continues to explore the implications of these findings, the potential for future inquiries into the origins of life in the universe seems promising. By examining other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, astronomers may uncover even more evolved organic molecules, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the universe and our place within it.