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Basic amino acids found in another galaxy
The methanimine and hydrogen cyanide -- two ingredients that build life-forming amino acids -- were found in the galaxy Arp 220, some 250 million light-years from Earth.
The molecules were found by searching radio emissions at specific frequencies. Each chemical substance has a unique radio frequency and astronomers can use that to identify substances.
Robert Minchin, an Arecibo astronomer said methanimine and hydrogen cyanide, when combined with water, form glycine -- the simplest amino acid and a building block of life on Earth.
The astronomers, led by Christopher Salter, announced the discovery Friday in Austin, Texas, during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
The Arecibo Observatory is managed by Cornell University for the National Science Foundation.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
This news arrived on: 01/15/2008
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