Life In Space? NASA Finds Building Block For Life In Distant Galaxy

Using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, NASA has made an incredible discovery. In a research paper published in Nature, scientists reported that they've found a carbon-based molecule that has never been found in outer space.

This molecule is considered one of the building blocks of life on Earth and was found in the gassy Orion Nebula. This doesn't mean that carbon-based lifeforms exist in this nebula, but it opens up new avenues of research in this domain.

NASA

Carbon molecule found in far-off galaxy

The carbon molecule is called methyl cation (CH3+) and was found 1,350 light-years from Earth in a system called d203-506 covered in shrouds of dust clouds and space gas.

According to NASA, the system revolves around a small red dwarf that has one-tenth the mass of our Sun. According to Marie-Aline Martin-Drumel, a spectroscopist at Paris-Saclay University who co-authored the research, the molecule is an important building block for all life on Earth.

Also read: NASA Animation Reveals Global Flow Of CO2 Emissions, Shows Biggest Polluters

NASA

In turn, it could also serve as the foundation for alien life as well. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has helped scientists make new space discovers since its launch in 2021.

The telescope is able to click images in infrared and near-infrared wavelengths that are not visible to the human eye. It can cut through highly gaseous regions to reveal new information about the universe.

Also read: NASA's New System Makes Recycling Pee Into Drinking Water Easier For Astronauts

NASA

The existence of CH3+ alone doesn't mean life exists in that system, but it could imply the existence of carbon-based life at some point.

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