Bernese researchers find explanation for macromolecules around young stars
Published: Tuesday, Jul 30th 2024, 12:30
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An international team of researchers led by the University of Bern has found an explanation for how macromolecules can form in the gas and dust disks around young stars. The researchers used computer-based modeling and observations to do so.
Organic macromolecules are considered to be the building blocks of life, as they are important for carbon and nitrogen compositions. Scientists have long assumed that organic macromolecules on Earth originate from so-called chondrites. These are rock building blocks from which the earth was formed around 4.6 billion years ago.
Chondrites are formed by the accumulation of dust and small particles in the protoplanetary disk that forms around a young star, according to a press release issued by the University of Bern on Tuesday.
The international team of researchers assumed that there are regions in the dust disk around a young star where dust and ice accumulate, so-called dust traps. The scientists also assumed that macromolecules could form when these dust traps are exposed to intense starlight.
The model showed that, under the right conditions, molecules can actually form in dust traps in just a few decades. The researchers have published their findings in the journal "Nature Astronomy".
In the future, the researchers want to investigate how different types of dust traps react differently to radiation and moving dust streams. "This will help us to learn more about the probability of life around different types of exoplanets and stars," study leader Niels Ligterink is quoted as saying in the press release.
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