Humanity's relentless cosmic quest has led our species to scan the vast expanses of the universe in search of life. Since our pursuits have yielded silence, experts have pivoted to a new quest, searching for indicators that hint at the presence of energy.
Life-Supporting Element Detected
At the University of Arizona, a trio of chemists has discovered phosphorus at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy for the first time. Researchers Lucy Ziurys, Karlie Gold, and Lilia Koelemay conducted their study by focusing on the gas cloud WB89-621.
Previous studies suggest that phosphorus exists in regions near the Sun and the Milky Way's inner parts. These findings are unsurprising since other research reveals that this element is created when silicon atoms in a star bind with neutrons. This stellar nucleosynthesis is believed to be responsible for the observed phosphorus.
Until now, experts have not observed the presence of phosphorus in the outer parts of our host galaxy. Stellar nucleosynthesis has explained why this element is not found in areas farther away from the Sun. In other words, there is no plausible way for phosphorus to reach these regions.
In their study entitled "Phosphorus-bearing molecules PO and PN at the edge of the Galaxy," the research team performed a millimeter spectra analysis of the phosphorus-bearing molecules PO and PN in the gas cloud WB89-621 when they discovered something unexpected. They found some rotational lines that suggest the presence of phosphorus in the cloud located at 22.6 kpc from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. They also discovered that supernovae do not exist in the outer regions of our galaxy, a possible indication that the phosphorus they observed came from another source.
Two theories emerged in trying to explain this phenomenon, although they are still both debated. The first theory involves the presence of galactic fountains, the materials where supernovae are moved through circumgalactic or halo effects. However, this theory cannot explain the researchers' findings because clouds made by such fountains are not found in the Milky Way at such distances.
Another explanation focuses on an extragalactic source like the Magellanic Cloud. Like the first theory, this one also seems implausible because those sources rarely have enough metals to produce the amounts of phosphorus they detected.
READ ALSO: Saturn's Moon Enceladus' Phosphorus Discovery Offers Evidence of Potential Extraterrestrial Life
Phosphorus as an Indicator of Life
Scientists have been exploring our galaxy for evidence of life on other planets for generations. They search for a specific set of conditions and chemicals that need to come together in the right place and time to produce life. Phosphorus is one of the eight elements considered crucial ingredients for life in space.
Phosphorus is essential to all living things because it forms the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA and RNA. As part of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), it plays a significant role in energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy around the body's cells and powers nearly every cellular process that needs fuel.
Phosphorus is also a vital element in cell membranes, the layer that surrounds the inner part of the cell and controls the inward and outward movements of substances. Just like nitrogen, phosphorus is needed to create DNA and RNA. Since the phosphate group acts like glue in DNA, the bodies of living organisms would not function without this element.
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