http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081209/sc_space/sweetfindinsearchforalienlife

QuoteJeanna Bryner
Senior Writer
SPACE.com jeanna Bryner
senior Writer
space.com – Tue Dec 9, 8:32 am ETA sugar molecule that's linked to the origin of life has been detected in a region of our galaxy where habitable planets could exist. The sweet find is good news in the search for alien life, the researchers say.

Called glycolaldehyde, the sugar molecule is considered a life ingredient because it can react with a substance called propenal to form ribose, a central constituent of ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is similar to DNA and considered one of the central molecules in the origin of life.

An international team of scientists used the IRAM radio telescope in France to detect glycolaldehyde in a massive star-forming region of space, some 26,000 light-years from Earth. (One light-year is the distance light will travel in a year, or about 6 trillion miles, or 10 trillion km.)

They looked for the emission of certain wavelengths within the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Molecules each emit a distinctive band of radio wavelengths, which can be used as a fingerprint for the molecules.  

"This is an important discovery as it is the first time glycolaldehyde, a basic sugar, has been detected towards a star-forming region where planets that could potentially harbor life may exist," said researcher Serena Viti of the University College London.

Previously, the organic sugar had been detected toward the center of our galaxy, where conditions are extreme and not conducive to planet-forming compared with the rest of the galaxy.

The new discovery, which will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, was in an area distant from the galactic center. In addition, the sugar was found in a swirl of gas and dust around a collection of stars. "Possibly, this material is actually rotating around the stars, which may imply that it's a disk and that's where planets may form," Viti told SPACE.com.

She added, "Also the fact that it's just a normal star-forming region suggests that the production of this molecule could be common throughout the galaxy."

The detection of one life ingredient also improves the chances that the molecule exists alongside other molecules essential to life and in regions where Earth-like planets may exist, she said.

"The fact that a basic sugar so directly linked to RNA is common makes you think the basic ingredients for life are out there," Viti said. "They're not just on Earth."

Hmmm, there is a MongTrav adventure hidden in that article...

Thanks!

Wow, this is really exciting new!  Hopefully, I will be vindicated before I die by science, and concrete proof of life outside of earth will be discovered.  It is the pinnicle of human hubris to honestly think that the only life in this universe can be found on this rock called earth.

Dude.. they can use supertelescopes to find emissions from MOLECULES, but somehow we have never been able to pick up a single Alien TV Show, Lighthouse Signal, or Space Station Energy Signiature?

In a way, this makes me discouraged, at least about the possibilities of advanced civilizations...

RPGPundit

Space is a big place...from what I understand, the chance of intercepting a radio-type transmission over light years is very, very small.

Actually, other than SETI, which I understand focuses on a very small slice of sky, what other major projects are out there listening for radio/TV transmissions?

Quote from: RPGPundit;272622Dude.. they can use supertelescopes to find emissions from MOLECULES, but somehow we have never been able to pick up a single Alien TV Show, Lighthouse Signal, or Space Station Energy Signiature?

In a way, this makes me discouraged, at least about the possibilities of advanced civilizations...

RPGPundit

They could very well use some kind of transmission that works well under a heavy ionosphere, but gets scrambled coming out, and looks very much like background noise by the time it reaches the edge of their own solar system.

Additionally, the signals could be, well...  alien.  As in, some strange set of non-recurring frequencies that we aren't really looking for.  As mentioned, they are scanning a small section of the sky for a very specific pattern of signals.  It also could be the signals are coming in two degrees outside of that field, or aren't in that pattern, or are just weak enough that the pattern is disguised because we aren't picking up all of it.

As important as finding inhabited planets is finding inhabitable planets.  It may take a while to get there, but colonizing is every bit as exciting.

The only way for the human race to survive extinction is to get off planet.  It's that simple.  Discovering that the building blocks of life can be found elsewhere than earth is great news.

If humanity can survive long enough to journey to the stars and colonize them, then I am confident that humanity will encounter another form of intelligent life at some point.  

Life is too infectious to be contained solely on this rock.

Yes, I'm sure that there's life on other planets. I'm also still relatively confident that there should be intelligent life out there somewhere (or that there had been, or whatever); what I'm increasingly doubtful about is that there's a LOT of intelligent life out there, or any that's anywhere near us in the universe.

Hey, for all we know, maybe all the planets around us are full of primitives that will worship us as gods. That's got its advantages too, if we can ever fucking get there.

RPGPundit

Well, I think that once we actually start planetary exploration and colonization we are going to have to redefine the terms intelligence, sentience, and life.

On SETI, radio signal strength drops off rapidly once they leave the Earth and most commercial radio is designed to bounce off of the ionosphere back to ground stations, so looking for radio transmissions from aliens may not be the way to go.

Quote from: Drohem;272957Well, I think that once we actually start planetary exploration and colonization we are going to have to redefine the terms intelligence, sentience, and life.

I think the very same thoughts when I see the teens on my block queuing up for the High School bus.

-clash

Quote from: RPGPundit;272622Dude.. they can use supertelescopes to find emissions from MOLECULES, but somehow we have never been able to pick up a single Alien TV Show, Lighthouse Signal, or Space Station Energy Signiature?

In a way, this makes me discouraged, at least about the possibilities of advanced civilizations...

RPGPundit

Actually you've just shown the total lack of scientific knowledge- with that statement. Unfortunately too many people think like you.

Quote from: Nobilis;273174Actually you've just shown the total lack of scientific knowledge- with that statement. Unfortunately too many people think like you.

Please, enlighten me.

RPGPundit