{"id":2049303,"date":"2026-07-13T15:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2049303"},"modified":"2026-07-13T15:00:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:00:48","slug":"astronomers-detect-sugar-in-interstellar-space-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2049303","title":{"rendered":"Astronomers Detect Sugar in Interstellar Space for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/galactic-center-hubble-spitzer-chandra-composite-1200×675.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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Astronomers have long suspected that sugar exists in deep space\u2014frontiers beyond our solar system. That hypothesis was proven correct via samples from the asteroid Bennu, but scientists wanted to take things a step further: Was there a way to directly detect sugar in interstellar space?<\/p>\n

The answer to that question is a resounding yes, according to a paper published today in Nature Astronomy. Using the Yebes 40-meter and IRAM 30-meter radio telescopes in Spain, researchers report the first direct detection of erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, in the molecular cloud G+0.693\u22120.027. For the discovery, the team analyzed spectral data collected from the cloud, located near the center of the Milky Way. The findings demonstrate that chemical complexity can emerge in space, even before stars or planets enter the picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cSugars are essential organic compounds because they represent the backbone of RNA and DNA,\u201d Izaskun Jim\u00e9nez-Serra, the study\u2019s first author and an astronomer at the Center for Astrobiology in Spain, told Gizmodo. \u201cOur goal was to determine whether sugars could already be synthesized in the molecular clouds where stars and planets are born.\u201d<\/p>\n

From raspberries to the stars<\/h2>\n

On Earth, erythrulose is a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in red raspberries. According to Jim\u00e9nez-Serra, in aqueous environments erythrulose changes into threose, which belongs to a family of simple nucleic acids and is a \u201cpossible evolutionary predecessor of RNA.\u201d Erythrulose is an \u201cespecially relevant\u201d compound for understanding the chemical history of life, she added.<\/p>\n

Broadly speaking, astronomers have detected traces of sugars in meteorites and asteroids. For example, in addition to Bennu, the meteorite Orgueil was more recently found to contain sugar. Then in 2018, NASA researchers succeeded in synthesizing sugar molecules under conditions closely resembling interstellar space. In the paper, the researchers added that erythrulose in particular has been speculated to exist on bodies in the outer solar system.<\/p>\n

Striking the sugar<\/h2>\n

So the hints were there, but scientists hadn\u2019t actually found traces of erythrulose\u2014or any sugar, in fact\u2014directly within the interstellar medium, Jim\u00e9nez-Serra explained. The latest study sought to address this knowledge gap. Jim\u00e9nez-Serra and colleagues searched for the \u201ccharacteristic rotational fingerprint\u201d of erythrulose in G+0.693\u22120.027, she explained.<\/p>\n

From spectroscopic analysis in the lab, the team identified 12 independent spectral lines that matched erythrulose\u2019s predicted emission. (For context, every element has a unique spectral signature, which astronomers check and compare to categorize emission data.) Fascinatingly, the team also found that the molecular cloud had eight times more erythrulose than similar three-carbon, or simpler, sugar compounds.<\/p>\n

Cosmic chemical chronicles<\/h2>\n

Molecular clouds, as their name suggests, are irregular \u201cclumps\u201d of dust and gas in interstellar space. Although they frequently witness the birth of stars\u2014hence the nickname \u201cstellar nurseries\u201d\u2014stars and planets aren\u2019t quite there yet. Therefore, the discovery of erythrulose in molecular clouds strongly suggests that \u201csome of the chemical ingredients needed for the emergence of life may already be present in the material from which planetary systems are built,\u201d Jim\u00e9nez-Serra said.<\/p>\n

Importantly, this opens the possibility to study a new family of organic compounds (sugars and their derivatives) across the galaxy,\u201d she added. Next, Jim\u00e9nez-Serra plans to search for larger sugars, such as ribose, a key component of RNA. The hope is that the right combination of astronomical observations, lab experiments, and theoretical calculations will shed light on how life\u2019s building blocks operate under the cold vacuum of interstellar space, she said.<\/p>\n

Related article<\/strong>: Both Pluto and Titan Share a Mystery Molecule That\u2019s Never Been Seen Before<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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Astronomers have long suspected that sugar exists in deep space\u2014frontiers beyond our solar system. That hypothesis was proven correct via samples from the asteroid Bennu, but scientists wanted to take things a step further: Was there a way to directly detect sugar in interstellar space?<\/p>\n

The answer to that question is a resounding yes, according to a paper published today in Nature Astronomy. Using the Yebes 40-meter and IRAM 30-meter radio telescopes in Spain, researchers report the first direct detection of erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, in the molecular cloud G+0.693\u22120.027. For the discovery, the team analyzed spectral data collected from the cloud, located near the center of the Milky Way. The findings demonstrate that chemical complexity can emerge in space, even before stars or planets enter the picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cSugars are essential organic compounds because they represent the backbone of RNA and DNA,\u201d Izaskun Jim\u00e9nez-Serra, the study\u2019s first author and an astronomer at the Center for Astrobiology in Spain, told Gizmodo. \u201cOur goal was to determine whether sugars could already be synthesized in the molecular clouds where stars and planets are born.\u201d<\/p>\n

From raspberries to the stars<\/h2>\n

On Earth, erythrulose is a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in red raspberries. According to Jim\u00e9nez-Serra, in aqueous environments erythrulose changes into threose, which belongs to a family of simple nucleic acids and is a \u201cpossible evolutionary predecessor of RNA.\u201d Erythrulose is an \u201cespecially relevant\u201d compound for understanding the chemical history of life, she added.<\/p>\n

Broadly speaking, astronomers have detected traces of sugars in meteorites and asteroids. For example, in addition to Bennu, the meteorite Orgueil was more recently found to contain sugar. Then in 2018, NASA researchers succeeded in synthesizing sugar molecules under conditions closely resembling interstellar space. In the paper, the researchers added that erythrulose in particular has been speculated to exist on bodies in the outer solar system.<\/p>\n

Striking the sugar<\/h2>\n

So the hints were there, but scientists hadn\u2019t actually found traces of erythrulose\u2014or any sugar, in fact\u2014directly within the interstellar medium, Jim\u00e9nez-Serra explained. The latest study sought to address this knowledge gap. Jim\u00e9nez-Serra and colleagues searched for the \u201ccharacteristic rotational fingerprint\u201d of erythrulose in G+0.693\u22120.027, she explained.<\/p>\n

From spectroscopic analysis in the lab, the team identified 12 independent spectral lines that matched erythrulose\u2019s predicted emission. (For context, every element has a unique spectral signature, which astronomers check and compare to categorize emission data.) Fascinatingly, the team also found that the molecular cloud had eight times more erythrulose than similar three-carbon, or simpler, sugar compounds.<\/p>\n

Cosmic chemical chronicles<\/h2>\n

Molecular clouds, as their name suggests, are irregular \u201cclumps\u201d of dust and gas in interstellar space. Although they frequently witness the birth of stars\u2014hence the nickname \u201cstellar nurseries\u201d\u2014stars and planets aren\u2019t quite there yet. Therefore, the discovery of erythrulose in molecular clouds strongly suggests that \u201csome of the chemical ingredients needed for the emergence of life may already be present in the material from which planetary systems are built,\u201d Jim\u00e9nez-Serra said.<\/p>\n

Importantly, this opens the possibility to study a new family of organic compounds (sugars and their derivatives) across the galaxy,\u201d she added. Next, Jim\u00e9nez-Serra plans to search for larger sugars, such as ribose, a key component of RNA. The hope is that the right combination of astronomical observations, lab experiments, and theoretical calculations will shed light on how life\u2019s building blocks operate under the cold vacuum of interstellar space, she said.<\/p>\n

Related article<\/strong>: Both Pluto and Titan Share a Mystery Molecule That\u2019s Never Been Seen Before<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/galactic-center-hubble-spitzer-chandra-composite-1200×675.jpg”] Astronomers have long suspected that sugar exists in deep space\u2014frontiers beyond our solar system. That hypothesis was proven correct via samples from the asteroid Bennu, but scientists wanted to take things a step further: Was there a way to directly detect sugar in interstellar space? The answer to that question is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,53],"class_list":["post-2049303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-gizmodo-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2049303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2049303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2049303\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2049303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2049303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2049303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}