Dr. Susana Iglesias Gros of the Canarias Astronomical Institute (IAC) used data from the Spitzer Space Observatory to uncover the Amino signature. acid Tryptophan in the interstellar medium of nearby star-forming regions.This study was recently published in the journal Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.
Large amounts of tryptophan have been detected in the Perseus Molecular Complex, particularly in the IC348 star system, a relatively astronomically close star-forming region 1000 light-years from Earth. This region is generally invisible to the naked eye, but shines brightly when viewed at infrared wavelengths.
Tryptophan is one of 20 amino acid It is essential for the formation of proteins important to life on Earth and produces one of the richest spectral line patterns in infrared light. It was therefore an obvious candidate to explore using the extensive spectroscopic database of the Spitzer satellite, a space-based infrared telescope.
Analysis of the infrared radiation emitted from this region revealed 20 emission lines from the tryptophan molecule. Tryptophan has a temperature of approximately 280 Kelvin, or 7 degrees Celsius. Celsius. Iglesias-Gross previously discovered water and hydrogen at the same temperature in IC348.
This study suggests that emission lines associated with tryptophan may also exist in other star-forming regions and that their presence is common in the gas and dust from which stars and planets form. I am.
Amino acids are commonly found in meteorites and were present during the formation of the solar system. This new study shows that these protein building blocks, key to the development of life, are naturally present in regions where stars and planetary systems form, and contribute to the early chemistry of planetary systems around other stars. This may indicate that there is a possibility.
“Evidence for the presence of tryptophan in the Perseus molecular complex should prompt further efforts to identify other amino acids in this and other star-forming regions,” said Dr. Iglesias Gross. The widespread presence of protein components in the gases in which stars and planets form is a very intriguing possibility, and could be key to the development of life beyond planetary systems. ”
Reference: “Searching for tryptophan in the gas of the IC 348 star cluster in the Perseus Molecular Cloud” by Susana Iglesias-Groth, May 22, 2023. Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad1535