Interstellar Chiral Molecule In Space May Solve Biggest Mystery On Earth

A team of astronomers has discovered a strange molecule in interstellar space, located thousands of light years away, but within the Milky way galaxy. This molecule is expected to solve the biggest mysteries about life on Earth.

This first of its own kind of molecules in space was first spotted by the researchers using a sophisticated set of telescope. According to reports, the molecule, thus discovered called propylene oxide exhibit chirality. That is, it is capable of forming both right-handed and left-handed forms that are perfect mirror images of each other, are symmetrical and have the same physical properties.

The single handedness of chiral molecules has always been a mystery on Earth. For example, all amino acids present in living beings are left-handed, however, the sugar that forms the backbone of the DNA are all right-handed. What defines the handedness of different biomolecules and how the principle of chirality arrived on Earth is still a mystery.

The discovery of a first such molecule in space is expected to solve this mystery. According to lead researcher Brandon Carroll, chirality is an important principle that plays a leading role in biology. However, why certain molecules exist in right-handed or left-handed version is not clear.

According to the researchers, the association between the interstellar chiral molecules and life on Earth is the evidence that can be derived from meteorites that possess an extra concentration of left-handed amino acids. Studying interstellar clouds can thus help understand where that extra amount comes from.

This is what Caroll and the study co-author Brett McGuire have been doing since the past so many years. The duo has focused their research on a cloud of interstellar dust called Sagittarius B2. The cloud was searched for one of the simplest and smallest chiral molecule, propylene oxide.

The complete details of the study have been published in the journal Science.