Theoretical origin of life; available organic molecules (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, June 14, 2020, 20:07 (1411 days ago) @ David Turell

There are simple organic molecules existing in the universe, but taht explain wh life appeared:

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-ingredients-life-stellar-nurseries-stars.html

Complex organic molecules that could serve as building blocks for life are more ubiquitous than previously thought in cold clouds of gas and dust that give birth to stars and planets, according to astronomers at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory.

These molecules also appear much earlier than conventional wisdom suggested, hundreds of thousands of years before stars actually begin to form, the researchers found. Published in The Astrophysical Journal, the results challenge existing theories that require an environment heated by proto-stars—stars in the making—for complex organic molecules to become observable.

The study is the first to look for the signatures of two complex organic molecules, methanol and acetaldehyde, in a substantial number of prospective star-forming sites, unlike previous observations, which had mostly focused on individual objects. Pre-stellar or starless cores are so-named because while they do not yet contain any stars, they mark regions in space where cold dust and gases coalesce into the seeds that will give rise to stars and possibly planets.

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"These starless cores we looked at are several hundred thousand years away from the initial formation of a protostar or any planets," said Yancy Shirley, associate professor of astronomy, who co-authored the paper with lead author Samantha Scibelli, a third-year doctoral student in Shirley's research group. "This tells us that the basic organic chemistry needed for life is present in the raw gas prior to the formation of stars and planets."

While scientists have long known about the existence in space of prebiotic molecules—which provide the building blocks necessary for life as we know it—it has been difficult to come up with conclusive answers to where and how they form and the mechanisms by which they end up on the surfaces of any prospective planet. (my bold)

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These findings challenge traditional theories of how prebiotic molecules form, because they assume a scenario in which the heat from newborn stars provides the necessary environment for organic molecules to form. (my bold)

Comment: These simple molecules are certainly the forerunners of amino acids but as my bold indicate there are huge steps necessary, that the authors note, to create real amino acids on a planet, but more than that only left-handed forms. I doubt we will ever learn how life started spontaneously. Which brings us back to a designer.