The research study took into consideration information from numerous areas of star and planet formation, however it remained in one of the closest and best-known regions, the molecular cloud complex in Perseus, and in particular in the outstanding system IC 348 where the combination of all the spectroscopic information from the satellite has permitted us to attain the máximum level of sensitivity and to identify lines which tryptophan produces in the laboratory,.
” IC 348 is a remarkable star formation area and an amazing chemical laboratory; thanks to its proximity to Earthy we can carry out some of the most sensitive look for molecules in the interstellar medium” notes Iglesias-Groth, who has just recently discovered in the exact same region proof for other molecules such as water (H20), co2 (CO2), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), acetylene (C2H), benzene (C6H6), policyclic aromatic hidrocarbons, and fullerenes, among others.
Tryptophan has actually been detected in space. Credit: Jorge Rebolo-Iglesias. Background image: NASA/Spitzer Space Telescope.
” The novelty of this work is that tryptophan has never previously been found in the interstellar medium, and additionally, in spite of years of research, there has been no confirmed detection of other amino acids in any other star formation area” emphasizes the scientist.
The study provides evidence that tryptophan-associated emission lines may also be present in other star-forming regions and suggests that its presence, and possibly that of other amino acids, is typical in the gas from which worlds and stars form. “It is most likely that amino acids, the structure blocks of proteins, might be enhancing the gas in the protoplanetary discs and atmospheres of young, newly formed exoplanets and possibly speeding up the development of life there,” says Iglesias-Groth.
The analysis of the emission bands of this molecule has also permitted us to estimate the temperature at which it is found in the gas of this cloud: about 280 Kelvin, i.e. close to zero degrees Celsius, a temperature level extremely similar to that measured for molecular hydrogen and water in the interstellar medium of IC 348 in previous studies published by Iglesias-Groth. The brand-new work also provides a quote of the abundance of tryptophan in the very same area: about ten billion times less abundant than molecular hydrogen.
” It is popular that amino acids belong to meteorites and might have been present as early as the formation of the Solar System” discusses Iglesias-Groth. “The discovery of tryptophan and, hopefully, of other amino acids in the future, could indicate that protein-building agents, which are essential to the development of living organisms, exist naturally in the areas where stars and planetary systems form, and that life may be more typical in our Galaxy than we could have predicted” she concludes.
Recommendation: “A look for tryptophan in the gas of the IC 348 star cluster of the Perseus molecular cloud” by Susana Iglesias-Groth, 22 May 2023, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.DOI: 10.1093/ mnras/stad1535.
Artistic composition of tryptophan molecules in the star-forming region IC 348 located in the constellation Perseus. Credit: Gabriel Pérez Díaz (IAC).
Tryptophan is among the 20 vital amino acids essential for protein synthesis, crucial for lifes advancement on Earth. This amino acid has many spectral functions in the infrared, as had actually been formerly defined by Susana Iglesias Groth, an IAC scientist.
Using information from the Spitzer Space Observatory, she identified over 10 emission bands for this particle, the greatest according to her lab measurements.
” Given the spectral coverage in the infrared, and the large spectroscopic database from the Spitzer telescope this amino acid was the apparent prospect to look for in area” describes the astrophysicist.
Tryptophan has been detected in space. Credit: Jorge Rebolo-Iglesias. Background image: NASA/Spitzer Space Telescope.