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Organic Molecules Found Circling Nearby Star
sciencehabit writes Astronomers have detected chemical precursors of building blocks of life in the large disk of dust and gas whirling around a young nearby star. These complex organic molecules, two forms of cyanide and one chemically related compound, likely formed after the protoplanetary disk collapsed, the researchers say. The same chemicals are found in roughly similar proportions in comets circling our sun, which may have brought them to Earth billions of years ago. "We know that the solar system isn't unique in its number of planets or abundance of water," says Karin Öberg, an astrochemist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "Now we know that we're not unique in organic chemistry. From a life in the universe point of view, this is great news."
Many are increasingly of the opinion that we've all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some say that even the trees have been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans.
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First a story about how plentiful water is, and now we discover that the molecules of life are plentiful too. There is absolutely no doubt that life has a foothold everywhere in this universe. We just need to get out there and find it. Then we can either fuck it, eat it, tax it, or worship it.
It would suck for life if organic molecules didn't exist.
Not saying it's bad news, but does it have to be great? Can't it just be news, of what we have now found in space
The organic molecules of Walter Scott are now job-less.
I hope its more star trek than stargate
I, for one, welcome our new cyanide molecule overlords. But where are they? Oh wait...
This kind of science completely fascinates me! I am currently a sophomore in high school and am completely in love with Astronomy! Any suggestions for colleges that have great Astronomy programs, where I can eventually earn a PhD?
I found a pile of organic molecules right in the middle of the street. It smelled and looked like a skunk. All the molecules necessary to make a skunk were there. But there was no live skunk. Perhaps the molecules will reassemble themselves... Or not.
These complex organic molecules, two forms of cyanide and one chemically related compound..
Doesn't sound very hospitable. Was this found on planet Zyklon B or something?
Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!
Vote for Bernie in 2016!
This is clearly a bug asteroid. It's your duty to sign up into the Mobile infantry immediately.
Nullius in verba
hydrogen cyanide (HCN): occurs everywhere (not the least of which is your cars tailpipe), all you need is the elements and hea
methyl cyanide (CH3CN), once again occurs everywhere, all you need are the elements plus oxygen helps
cyanoacetylene (HC3N) Not familiar with this but be willing to bet you can get it by just applying heat again.
it's not ignored I've seen it hundreds of times today... ok so it's not on a nerd news site. if it was ACs just like you would be asking how that's "News for Nerds"
get your head out of your ass
An "organic molecule" is no different from any other molecule nature brews up. It just happens to be one of the types of molecules found in living things on earth. So what? The same processes are at work throughout the universe to create basic elements and the conditions for various types of molecules to form from them are not earth-special or this solar system special. This has been known for a very very long time. This is completely not news.
Well, Duh..Of course that stuff is out there. where do you think the life on Earth came from. Bacteria and even multicellular organisms are spread throughout the cosmos and thrive whenever they land on a world with amenable conditions and even in space without needing a planet. Eventually human science might cone to the realization that the cosmos teems with life to a degree which they would never have imagined, and that it's been around since not long after the first huge stars blew up and seeded the universe with the elements needed. Life itself probably formed in molecular clouds in space rather than on planets or moons. Also, the drake equation is garbage. It doesn't take into account the moons of planets, which is where most complex life is to be found. One gas giant, like the super-jupiters which exist in great abundance can have hundreds of moons, many larger than Earth, and if that gas giant is in the habitable zone all those moons are as well. So there are vastly more life supporting worlds than the Drake equation would be able to account for. Also, the habitable zone isn't as important as you'd think since many worlds, if not most, that support life, are oceans under a thick layer of ice, like many moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Those worlds don't depend on the sun and can continue long after the sun has died. The energy source is good old gravity..the most important force in the universe.
I'll grant you - it's not unlike "We've confirmed what most people might assume, that similar circumstances lead to similar results", but this lets us start discarding that word 'assume'. Also, please consider: if similar chemistries evolve due to similar conditions, it seems likely to me that we will find life as we know it. We won't have to waste time looking for Andromeda particles or talking to rocks looking for silicon-based life or even negotiating with the Tholiads or the friggin' LED's of Zetar, it'll be life that looks (more or less) familiar.
Astronomers have detected chemical precursors of building blocks of the components needed to construct the conditions required to make the environment necessary to gather the required elemental components of life.
Change positions? Kind of like how Obama and Hillary changed their positions on gay marriage? Wasn't that long ago Obama and Hillary were going on about how the issue of gay marriage was a states rights issue. And it was, of course, Bill Clinton who signed the "Defense of Marriage Act".
So please do STFU about politicians changing their position, unless you are going to be as hard on the left as you are the right. But you won't because you don't seek truth but just seek to score points like the partisan hack you are.