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Nature 416, 403-406 (28 March 2002) | doi:10.1038/416403a; Received 16 November 2001; Accepted 17 January 2002

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Amino acids from ultraviolet irradiation of interstellar ice analogues

G. M. Muñoz Caro1, U. J. Meierhenrich2,3, W. A. Schutte1, B. Barbier2, A. Arcones Segovia1, H. Rosenbauer4, W. H.-P. Thiemann3, A. Brack2 & J. M. Greenberg1

  1. Raymond and Beverly Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics at Leiden Observatory, PO Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
  2. Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, Rue Charles Sadron, F-45160 Orléans, France
  3. Bremen University, Department of Physical Chemistry, FB 02, Leobener Stras zlige, D-28359 Bremen, Germany
  4. Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie, Max-Planck-Stras zlige 2, D-37189 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

Correspondence to: U. J. Meierhenrich2,3 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to U.J.M. (e-mail: Email: mhenrich@uni-bremen.de).

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Amino acids are the essential molecular components of living organisms on Earth, but the proposed mechanisms for their spontaneous generation have been unable to account for their presence in Earth's early history1. The delivery of extraterrestrial organic compounds has been proposed as an alternative to generation on Earth2, 3, 4, 5, and some amino acids have been found in several meteorites6, 7, 8, 9. Here we report the detection of amino acids in the room-temperature residue of an interstellar ice analogue that was ultraviolet-irradiated in a high vacuum at 12 K. We identified 16 amino acids; the chiral ones showed enantiomeric separation. Some of the identified amino acids are also found in meteorites. Our results demonstrate that the spontaneous generation of amino acids in the interstellar medium is possible, supporting the suggestion that prebiotic molecules could have been delivered to the early Earth by cometary dust, meteorites or interplanetary dust particles.

  1. Raymond and Beverly Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics at Leiden Observatory, PO Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
  2. Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, Rue Charles Sadron, F-45160 Orléans, France
  3. Bremen University, Department of Physical Chemistry, FB 02, Leobener Stras zlige, D-28359 Bremen, Germany
  4. Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie, Max-Planck-Stras zlige 2, D-37189 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

Correspondence to: U. J. Meierhenrich2,3 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to U.J.M. (e-mail: Email: mhenrich@uni-bremen.de).