Many planets may contain the seeds of life

Astronomers have discovered the building block of RNA (ribonucleic acid), within the hot, compact core of massive star formation, as part of the Milky Way. Over the past decade, scientists have been able to detect organic molecules inside meteorites and even in outer space, but their connection with life is unlikely, because these substances were not found in clouds of dust and gas around new stars that can form planets.

Using an array of IRAM radio plates (Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimetrique) in France, a team of European astronomers was able to detect a substance called glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar, RNA component, located within a compact core formed from a disk of gas and dust in the star-forming G31 .41 + 0.31, which is at a distance of 26.000 light years from our planet.

A sugar molecule could have been formed as a result of a simple reaction between carbon monoxide molecules and dust particles. Discovery is important for two reasons. First, G31.41 + 0.31 is located far from radiation in the center of the Milky Way, so if any biological processes could begin there, they will have a chance to continue. Secondly, the abundance of glycolaldehyde in the clouds G31.41 + 0.31 indicates its non-uniqueness for this region. The point is that if a star is formed and a planet is formed, then the process of organic compounding can also occur.
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