A newly discovered cosmic smoke signal hints at organic chemistry in deep space
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected complex organic molecules in a galaxy over 12 billion light-years away, revealing that the building blocks of life existed in the very early universe.
Researchers identified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are soot-like molecules often found in smoke or engine exhaust, within a galaxy from when the universe was only ten percent of its current age. This discovery marks the most distant detection of these complex organic molecules to date.
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