Meteorite Contains Complex Organic Molecules

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.'"

Comments

I shit organic material, but so does Kilauea

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Before we get all excited about finding "organic" material in space rocks, it's important to remember that organic doesn't really mean anything unless it is certified by the government. There is a battery of tests and criteria that must be passed before anything can truly be referred to as organic.

I doubt anyone has certified a ROCK from OUTER SPACE as anything but a space rock. You can't eat it anyway, so there really isn't any reason to get it certified organic.

Re:I shit organic material, but so does Kilauea

[steelfood]

But it contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.

2323 Origin of life in our solar system discovered

[Orga]

A passing space cruise liner flushing passenger waste as it passed our primordial solar system injected the base complex organic molecules needed to form life on our planet.

Really?

[mujadaddy]

The Murchison meteorite contains complex organic molecules – including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur.

Molecules do not work that way!

TFA is short on details.

Again, TFA: Now, for the first time, scientists have used advanced analytical methods to conduct a non-targeted experiment....wtf?

science-ignorant article

[rubycodez]

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?

Re:science-ignorant article

[Bowling Moses]

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.

Proof there is a god

[meekg]

"The Murchison meteorite landed near a town of the same name... "

What are the odds for THAT happening?!

Re:Teeming with organic molecules

[IndustrialComplex]

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.

Published???

[Pedrito]

From TFA: ...according to the study published in the U.S. Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

I'm going on the assumption that "published" implies past tense. As in, done. Yet, a search of PNAS finds no connection between the quoted author Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin and the word "Murchison" appearing ANYWHERE in the text of an article. And since no title is mentioned and no other authors are mentioned, I'm not really sure what to say.

I mean, I suppose it's possible PNAS completely screwed up somehow. I tried matching just the guy's first name, just his last name. He has written for PNAS in the past. He's written three articles on wine. That's quite a jump, from wine to meteorites.

I'm not saying it's not there. I just can't find it among the 81 PNAS articles on the Murchison meteorite.

Re:organic sources

[CyberBill]

"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.

Re:organic sources

[vlm]

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