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Meteorite Contains Complex Organic Molecules

Posted by Soulskill on from the fun-with-space-rocks dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Previously unknown organic molecules have been discovered in a 100 kg meteorite that hit Australia in 1969, suggesting that our early Solar System contained a soup of highly complex organic chemistry long before life appeared. Quoting: 'According to [the study's lead author], the newly discovered compounds in the Murchison meteorite "may have contributed to the organic complexity of the early 'soup' that led to the development of life on Earth." The findings also suggest that extraterrestrial chemical diversity surpasses that found on Earth. The meteor probably passed through primordial clouds in the early solar system, accumulating organic molecules in a snowball effect along the way. By tracing the sequence of organic molecules in the meteorite, researchers believe they may also be able to create a timeline for their formation and alteration since the early days of our solar system.'"

5 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. science-ignorant article by rubycodez · · Score: 5, Informative

    Looking at better news sources, one finds the scientists found over 14,000 organic compounds which contained (besides carbon), the hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen, etc. None of those things by themselves constitutes an organic substance. Do kids even study chemistry in high school anymore?

    1. Re:science-ignorant article by Bowling+Moses · · Score: 4, Informative

      With a few exceptions like carbonates, cyanide salts, or allotropes of carbon (graphite, diamond, buckyball, etc), if it contains carbon it's an organic molecule. Since there aren't all that many molecules that meet these exceptions it's pretty safe to apply the rule: they found a crapload of different organic molecules.

      A different news writeup (the actual paper isn't available yet on PNAS, not even online) says millions of compounds, including 70 different amino acids. It'll be interesting as details unfold.

  2. Re:Teeming with organic molecules by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 4, Informative

    A giant rock has been on Earth for forty years, and just now they're discovering that it's contains organic compounds? Um...did it fall directly into a controlled vacuum?

    If you find organic molecules which do not exist on Earth OTHER than on this meteorite, the likely conclusion is that the meteorite is the source, not the recipient.

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  3. Re:organic sources by CyberBill · · Score: 4, Informative

    "Well the thought of the building blocks for life to have just "formed" on earth is too far fetched."

    Why is it far fetched? We've generated nearly every one of the bases of RNA and DNA in conditions that mimic the early Earth - Some from experiments like the Miller-Urey Experiment created a whole slew of different organic compounds, and more recent studies have shown the synthesis of an amino acid resulting from exposure to ultra-violet light (I believe it was uracil?) - showing that there are many many different ways to create complex organic compounds.

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    -Bill
  4. Re:organic sources by vlm · · Score: 4, Informative

    Well the thought of the building blocks for life to have just "formed" on earth is too far fetched.

    Basically you're promoting "vitalism"

    Organic chemistry dropped vitalism around 1828 more or less due to Wohler synthesis.

    Looks like biology still hasn't made that advance yet, OR your belief is a bit out of date, out of step with modern bio beliefs.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wohler_synthesis

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitalism

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    "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger