There has been much debate on the origin of life on earth. A recent study has given that debate a new angle, by claiming that life on earth might have been brought in from the outer space via comets.
According to United Press International, researchers have arranged for simulated space like conditions to understand whether chemicals from the comets included something like amino acid. The amino acid is supposed to be one of the key ingredients behind the generation of life on earth. Researchers have found that an average comet contains oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon, the main ingredients required for the building of amino acid.
Reportedly, researchers opine that molecule hydroxylamine, NH2-OH, might have been a precursor for the amino acid. However, it has not been possible for the scientists to trace the presence of the molecule on a flying comet in space.
According to Phys.org, researchers simulated a space-like atmosphere in an experiment to see whether the conditions would help the molecule to get generated. The laboratory conditions were set to form comet ice, and ammonia (NH3) and oxygen were brought together in the environment, and then the mixture was passed through high energy radiation that is found in space. The reactions were closely observed by the researchers with a special form of infrared spectroscopy.
In the test, the molecule hydroxylamine was formed. The data of the experiment was examined to find the conclusive result for the possibility of Life originating in space. However, it was not visible at the very first sight. Bands of different molecules covered the actual band of hydroxylamine in the sea of infrared rays. It was only visible after the researchers heated the sample slowly and the overlaying molecules got evaporated.
The researchers, though theoretically, formed the molecule hydroxylamine, which is a very vital ingredient in the formation of amino acids. They conclude that the molecule was not being searched about in the proper way. The researchers also opine that this could lead to understanding the next level of formation of life and its origin in space.
