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Life's Building Blocks Found in Large Magellanic Cloud

10/25/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers identified ethanol, acetaldehyde, methyl formate, and acetic acid in ice around ST6 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
The discovery was led by Marta Sewilo from NASA.
The finding suggests life’s building blocks are widespread in the universe.
The study shows chemistry can occur in the LMC’s metal-poor environment.
The team will study more young stars in the LMC to confirm results and map molecule distribution across galaxies.

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Story summary

Astronomers identified ethanol, acetaldehyde, methyl formate, and acetic acid in ice around ST6 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
The discovery was led by Marta Sewilo from NASA.
The finding suggests life’s building blocks are widespread in the universe.
The study shows chemistry can occur in the LMC’s metal-poor environment.
The team will study more young stars in the LMC to confirm results and map molecule distribution across galaxies.