From the Canary Islands Institute of Astronomical Medicine (IAC), Dr. Susana Iglesias-Groth used data from the Spitzer Space Observatory to detect traces of the amino acid tryptophan in interstellar material in a nearby star-forming region. The research was recently published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Large amounts of tryptophan have been found in the Perseus molecular complex, particularly in the IC348 star system, an astronomically relatively nearby star-forming region 1,000 light-years from Earth. The field is usually invisible to the naked eye but shines brightly when viewed in the infrared wavelength range.

Tryptophan is one of the 20 amino acids essential for the formation of proteins important for life on Earth and produces one of the richest spectral line patterns in the infrared range. It was therefore an obvious candidate to conduct research using the Spitzer satellite’s extensive spectroscopic database (Space Infrared Telescope Facility).

Tryptophan was discovered in space. Credit: Jorge Rebolo-Iglesias. Background image: NASA/Spitzer Space Telescope

Analysis of infrared light emitted from this region revealed 20 emission lines from the tryptophan molecule. The temperature of tryptophan is approximately 280 Kelvin or 7 degrees Celsius. Iglesias-Groth had previously discovered water and hydrogen at the same temperatures in IC348.

The study suggests that tryptophan-related emission lines may also be present in other star-forming regions, and that their presence is common in the gas and dust from which stars and planets form.

Amino acids are commonly found in meteorites and were present during the formation of our solar system. This new study may suggest that these protein substances, which are key to the development of life, are found naturally in regions where stars and planetary systems form and may contribute to the early chemistry of planetary systems around other stars.

Dr Iglesias-Groth said: “The evidence for tryptophan in the Perseus molecular complex should lead to additional efforts to identify other amino acids in this region and other star-forming regions. It is very exciting that the building blocks of proteins are widely present in the gas from which stars and planets form.” possibility; this could be the key to the development of life in exoplanet systems.” Source