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NASA's Telescope Finds Life's Building Blocks Beyond Milky Way

10/23/2025

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Summary

Story summary

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope detected five organic molecules in ice around protostar ST6 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, including methanol, ethanol, and acetic acid.
Researchers from the University of Maryland identified the five molecules.
This marks the first confirmed detection of these compounds outside the Milky Way.
The findings suggest life ingredients can form in harsh cosmic environments and may reshape ideas about life's chemical origins.

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Story summary

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope detected five organic molecules in ice around protostar ST6 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, including methanol, ethanol, and acetic acid.
Researchers from the University of Maryland identified the five molecules.
This marks the first confirmed detection of these compounds outside the Milky Way.
The findings suggest life ingredients can form in harsh cosmic environments and may reshape ideas about life's chemical origins.