Using an exceptionally laborious combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, the scientists have shown that the molecules contain a heavy form of carbon—carbon 13—which is consistent with having formed in space. Organic compounds on Earth contain a lighter carbon variant. While no one has established the connection between the development of life on Earth and the molecules’ presence on meteorites, the discovery does shed light on the possibility of life elsewhere in the galaxy. If the basic ingredients are zipping around throughout the cosmos, the likelihood of life taking shape wherever the chemistry is right is most certainly increased. [Via PhysOrg.com]
