Overview
- In experiments at Aarhus University and the HUN-REN Atomki facility, glycine on cold, ultra-high-vacuum surfaces was irradiated with ion-accelerator beams that mimic cosmic rays.
- Glycine molecules reacted to form short peptides and water, demonstrating an energetic pathway that operates without liquid water on dust grain surfaces.
- The findings, published in Nature Astronomy in January 2026, indicate that protein precursors can arise within interstellar clouds before planets form.
- The work challenges the view that complex chemistry begins only in warmer protoplanetary disks and suggests such organics could be widespread and delivered to young rocky planets.
- The team plans to test additional amino acids and investigate whether other key components such as membranes, nucleobases, and nucleotides can also form in space, noting this does not explain how life began.