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The building blocks for RNA-based life abound at the center of our galaxy

Newswise — Nitriles, a class of organic molecules with a cyano group, that is, a carbon atom bonded by an unsaturated triple bond to a nitrogen atom, are typically toxic. But paradoxically, they are also key precursors to molecules essential for life, such as ribonucleotides, which are made up of nucleobases or ‘letters’ A, U, C, and G joined by ribose and phosphate groups, which together make up RNA. Now, a team of researchers from Spain, Japan, Chile, Italy, and the US is showing that various nitriles occur in interstellar space in the G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud, near the center of the Milky Way. Dr VĂ­ctor M. Rivilla, a researcher at the Center for Astrobiology of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) in Madrid, Spain, and first author of the new study, said: “Here we show that the chemistry that occurs in the medium interstellar capable of efficiently forming multiple nitriles, which are key molecular precursors o

The building blocks for RNA-based life abound at the center of our galaxy

08 July 2022 ( Nanowerk News ) Nitriles, a class of organic molecules with a cyano group, i.e. a carbon atom bonded by an unsaturated triple bond to a nitrogen atom, are usually toxic. But paradoxically, they are also key precursors to molecules essential for life, such as ribonucleotides, which are made up of nucleobases or ‘letters’ A, U, C, and G joined by ribose and phosphate groups, which together make up RNA. Now, a team of researchers from Spain, Japan, Chile, Italy and the US are showing that various nitriles occur in interstellar space in the G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud, near the center of the Milky Way ( Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science “Molecular precursors of the RNA world in space: new nitriles in the molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027”). Dr VĂ­ctor M. Rivilla, a researcher at the Center for Astrobiology of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) in Madrid, Spain, and first author of the new study, said: “