Radiation-blasted meteors may serve as the universe’s cosmic crockpots, slowly cooking ingredients needed to spark life, scientists say in a new study. One of the most ubiquitous substances in the universe is a molecule called formamide. Clouds of formamide thousands of light years wide have been detected in interstellar space — so, basically, it’s everywhere. And when researchers blasted high-energy protons at a mixture of powdered meteorites and liquid formamide, the combination yielded all of the fundamental building blocks — except phosphates — necessary for life. The results challenge theories of how life began here on Earth, and widen the range of scenarios in which life could emerge elsewhere in the universe.
Scientists studying life's origins believe formamide is essential for life to take root. With the appropriate catalysts, such as high temperatures and the proper mix of minerals, formamide can yield the molecular components of DNA and RNA, amino ...
