Life's chemistry may begin in the cold darkness of space

Scientists at Aarhus University have found that peptides, the precursors to proteins, can form on interstellar dust grains under conditions that mimic deep space. Experiments in a specialized chamber reproduced temperatures of about minus 260 degrees Celsius and ultra-high vacuum in regions thousands of light-years from Earth, along with exposure to radiation similar to cosmic rays. The team, led This process challenges earlier views that only simple molecules form in star-forming clouds and that more complex chemistry occurs later in denser discs. The results suggest that key building blocks of life arise naturally in these environments before planets exist. The chemical reaction follows the same basic rules for all types of amino acids. Co-