Life's building blocks mapped in nebula 1,400 light-years from Earth
 

Life's building blocks mapped in nebula 1,400 light-years from Earth
http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/ppwZ73S_j4ay...39dc630ad6.pnghttp://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-...50839a8e00.jpghttp://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-...32c6f24ba1.jpg
A team of scientists have tracked the development of molecules k**wn as "life's building blocks" in a nebula far from Earth, adding to an ever-growing field of research that could one day help us figure out exactly how life formed in our solar system.*

Scientists peered deep into the Iris Nebula — located 1,400 light-years from our planet — using powerful observatories to figure out exactly how the molecules, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are distributed in the dusty region.

SEE ALSO: 5 solar system worlds that are probably more watery than Mars


The medium-sized PAHs — which are "flat molecules consisting of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern, surrounded by hydrogen," according to NASA — actually appear to grow larger when ultraviolet light from the large star at the nebula's center hits them.* Read more...

More about Planetary Science, Astro**my, Space Photos, Nebulas, and Cometshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Mashable/~4/8NjRaFGqNZ0