- Scientists have discovered erythrulose, a natural sugar also found in raspberries and fake tan, floating in interstellar space.
- The sugar was detected towards a molecular cloud near the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, marking the first time such a complex sugar has been found in the interstellar medium.
- This finding could fundamentally change the search for alien life, as sugars are vital components of DNA and RNA and are believed to be central to the origin of life.
- The discovery of a complex four-carbon sugar challenges prevailing astrochemical theories that suggest interstellar molecules grow sequentially by adding single carbon atoms.
- Researchers propose that this sugar could have arrived on Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment approximately four billion years ago, potentially aiding the initial development of life.
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