First detection of a chiral molecule in space

Published in Science · View the paper (DOI)

Researchers have detected a chiral molecule called propylene oxide in Sagittarius B2 North, a cloud of gas and dust in the Milky Way galaxy. This discovery sheds light on the origin of homochirality on Earth, which is a phenomenon where life forms predominantly use left-handed molecules.

First detection of a chiral molecule in space

Coverage from 2 institutions