It remains possible, though not yet confirmed. Astronomers have detected a complex sugar in deep space for the first time. Researchers linked to institutions in Spain and several other nations identified erythrulose, a complex sugar, within a large interstellar molecular cloud close to the Milky Way’s center. The results appeared in Nature Astronomy on July 13. Earlier studies located precursor molecules in space, but erythrulose itself qualifies as a sugar. These compounds serve as vital components for life by supplying energy and forming the backbone of RNA and DNA. Sugar molecules have appeared on meteorites, yet this marks the first detection in interstellar regions. The finding shows that complex chemicals required for life can arise under harsh space conditions without needing planets. Advanced models indicate erythrulose probably formed on icy dust grain surfaces. Simpler molecules like glycolaldehyde and ethylene glycol react upon colliding on these frozen particles to create larger sugars. Such compounds may later enter comets and asteroids that delivered life’s ingredients to early Earth. Erythrose is chiral, existing in right- and left-handed forms. Since terrestrial life selects one handedness, space detections of chiral sugars may clarify how biology developed its specific patterns.
