Life needs the right conditions - warmth, water and, of course, the building blocks of life, such as amino acids and proteins.
These have already been detected on meteorites. A research project at the Johannes Kepler University Linz has now shown how these building blocks of life could be created in space - adding an important facet to our understanding of life. Researchers have already detected prebiotic molecules - the basic building blocks necessary for life as we know it - on both meteorites and samples taken on space missions. How these can arise has long been a matter of debate.
There is indeed the Strecker synthesis, in which prebiotic molecules are created from ingredients such as hydrogen cyanide, organic carbonyl compounds and ammonia. But since ammonia is a very volatile gas, it has never been discovered in asteroids or meteorites.
Ammonia on meteorites
Wolfgang Schöfberger and Lucas Fernández from the Schoefberger Lab at the JKU’s Institute of Organic Chemistry are pleased to report a scientific breakthrough. Through electrochemical experiments using a meteorite as a catalyst, the two JKU chemists were able to prove that a mineral contained in the meteorite releases ammonia in a complex reaction - the missing building block of prebiotic molecules had been found!
"In a further step, we were able to provide concrete evidence of the formation of these molecules. These discoveries significantly expand our understanding of astrobiological chemistry and provide valuable insights into prebiotic processes and the possible presence of building blocks of life throughout the universe," explains Schöfberger.
The research results have now been published in the renowned magazine Chemistry - A European Journal.
Celestial bodies as "cabs" for molecules
Meteorites could have brought these molecules to various planets - and under the right conditions they could have become the basic building blocks of life. "One of the great mysteries in research into the origin of life is the question of how the first cell and the first living organism came into being," says Wolfgang Schöfberger. "Although this is still hotly debated, we now know that prebiotic molecules can actually form on meteorites."
An important breakthrough - and what worked on Earth could well have been successful on other planets too.Our research is an indication that life could actually be more common than we think, " says Lucas Fernández and hopes for further exciting findings in the search for the origin of all life.
to the paper:
From Meteorite to Life’s Building Blocks: A possible Electrochemical Pathway to Amino Acids and Peptide Bonds. - Fernandez - Chemistry - A European Journal - Wiley Online Library
