SPACE/COSMOS
Scientists discover building blocks of life in ice around a forming star in neighboring galaxy
A team led by a University of Maryland astronomer detected large complex organic molecules in ices outside of the Milky Way for the first time, offering a glimpse into the chemistry of the early universe
University of Maryland
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Using the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), researchers detected organic molecules with more than six atoms frozen in ice around a young star called ST6 forming in the neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The full galaxy is shown in the far-infrared image in the top right inset. The main image is the zoom-in on the star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud hosting the protostar ST6. It is a combination of mid-infrared data from Spitzer and visible (H-alpha) data from the 0.9-m Curtis Schmidt Telescope. The Webb’s MIRI image at a wavelength of 19 microns in the main inset shows the protostar ST6.
view moreCredit: Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/JPL-Caltech/M. Sewiło et al. (2025)
In a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how the chemical ingredients for life spread throughout the cosmos, astronomers detected organic molecules with more than six atoms frozen in ice around a young star called ST6 forming in a galaxy outside of the Milky Way.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), the researchers discovered five different carbon-based compounds in the Large Magellanic Cloud—our nearest galactic neighbor. Led by University of Maryland and NASA research scientist Marta Sewilo, the team detailed its findings in a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on October 20, 2025.
Sewilo’s team identified five complex organic molecules (COMs) in the ice surrounding the young protostar, many of which can be found right here on Earth: methanol and ethanol (common types of alcohol), methyl formate and acetaldehyde (primarily used as industrial chemicals on Earth) and acetic acid (the main component of vinegar). One of the molecules—acetic acid—has never been conclusively detected before in space ice, while ethanol, methyl formate and acetaldehyde represent the first detections of these COMs in ices outside the Milky Way galaxy. In addition, the team also observed spectral features that resemble another ice COM—glycolaldehyde, a sugar-related molecule and precursor of more complex biomolecules, such as components of RNA; however, further investigation is needed to confirm its detection.
“It's all thanks to JWST’s exceptional sensitivity combined with high angular resolution that we’re able to detect these faint spectral features associated with ices around such a distant protostar. The spectral resolution of JWST is sufficiently high to allow for reliable identifications,” Sewilo noted. “Before Webb, methanol had been the only complex organic molecule conclusively detected in ice around protostars, even in our own galaxy. The exceptional quality of our new observations helped us gather an immense amount of information from a single spectrum, more than we’ve ever had before.”
What makes the team’s discovery particularly remarkable is the challenging environment where the molecules were found. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located about 160,000 light-years away from Earth, serves as a natural laboratory for studying star formation under conditions similar to those in the early universe. The galaxy has roughly one-third to one-half the heavy elements (elements with higher atomic numbers than helium) found in our own solar system and experiences much stronger ultraviolet radiation.
“The low metallicity environment, meaning the reduced abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, is interesting because it’s similar to galaxies at earlier cosmological epochs,” Sewilo explained. “What we learn in the Large Magellanic Cloud, we can apply to understanding these more distant galaxies from when the universe was much younger. The harsh conditions tell us more about how complex organic chemistry can occur in these primitive environments where much fewer heavy elements like carbon, nitrogen and oxygen are available for chemical reactions.”
Study co-author Will Rocha, a researcher from Leiden University in the Netherlands, noted that COMs can form in both the gas and ices on interstellar dust grains. After their formation, ice COMs can be released to the gases; previously, methanol and methyl formate were detected in the gas-phase in the Large Magellanic Cloud. While the formation process of COMs is still not fully understood, chemical models and lab experiments show that chemical reactions on the surfaces of interstellar dust grains are the main contributor to COM production.
“Our detection of COMs in ices supports these results,” Rocha explained. “The detection of icy COMs in the Large Magellanic Cloud provides evidence that these reactions can produce them effectively in a much harsher environment than in the solar neighborhood.”
Finding icy COMs in similar conditions to those in the early universe suggests that the building blocks for larger biomolecules, important for the emergence of life, were formed much earlier and under a greater variety of cosmic conditions than previously thought.
While the team’s findings do not prove the existence of life beyond Earth, the research suggests that these species could survive the evolution of planetary systems and later be assimilated to early planets once they are formed, where life could flourish. Sewilo plans to expand this work to include more protostars in both the Large Magellanic Cloud and potentially the Small Magellanic Cloud, the next closest galaxy to Earth, and continue to explore questions about the complex chemistry of the universe.
“We currently only have one source in the Large Magellanic Cloud and only four sources with detection of these complex organic molecules in ices in the Milky Way. We need larger samples from both to confirm our initial results that indicate differences in COM abundances between these two galaxies,” Sewilo said. “But with this discovery, we’ve made significant advancements in understanding how complex chemistry emerges in the universe and opening new possibilities for research into how life came to be.”
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The paper, “Protostars at Subsolar Metallicity: First Detection of Large Solid-State Complex Organic Molecules in the Large Magellanic Cloud,” was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on October 20, 2025.
This research was supported by NASA.
Journal
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Method of Research
Observational study
Article Title
Protostars at Subsolar Metallicity: First Detection of Large Solid-State Complex Organic Molecules in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Article Publication Date
20-Oct-2025
A diagram depicting the COMs detected on icy dust grains around ST6: acetaldehyde, acetic acid, ethanol, and methyl formate.
Credit
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
The infrared spectrum of the protostar ST6 taken by Webb’s MIRI (the Mid-Infrared Instrument) covering a range of wavelengths where spectral signatures of large complex organic molecules have been found.
Credit
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/M. Sewiło et al. (2025)
Engineers developing new protective coating for spacecraft
University of Texas at Dallas
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Dr. Rafik Addou (left), assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and Joslin Prasanna, a materials science and engineering graduate student, use an ultrahigh vacuum surface science system, which includes sealed chambers, to process and study materials as part of a project to develop a coating to protect spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
view moreCredit: The University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Dallas researchers are developing a material to protect spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) from harsh environments that can damage vehicles in space, such as satellites, shortening their lifespans.
The research project is supported by a two-year, $1 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The research is part of DARPA’s Materials Investigation for Novel Operations in Space (MINOS) program, which supports the development of material systems with low-drag characteristics and significantly greater resistance to erosion and corrosion for use in LEO, which extends up to about 1,200 miles above Earth. The new materials are designed to protect satellites and other spacecraft components from two main threats: atmospheric drag and erosion.
When satellites collide with molecules and atoms in the LEO atmosphere, this causes drag, and the craft will lose its orbit and fall back to Earth. Atomic oxygen, formed in the lower atmosphere when ultraviolet radiation from the sun splits oxygen molecules into single atoms, is the most common particle in LEO. In addition to causing drag, these highly reactive oxygen atoms can bind to spacecraft surfaces and cause oxidation, or rust, and erosion.
The researchers are applying techniques currently used in other industries to design the material. One of the approaches, atomic layer deposition, originated in microelectronics manufacturing. The process allows manufacturers to build coatings one atomic layer at a time for greater control and precision.
Another approach is the sol-gel technique, which involves making solid materials from a liquid solution to create surfaces smooth enough to resist atmospheric drag. Sol-gel, used to create optical materials such as antireflective coatings, allows precise control over the composition and structure of the final material.
“This project marks a significant advancement in creating materials that enhance space resilience, providing long-term protection for essential components in upcoming space missions,” said Dr. Rafik Addou, assistant professor of materials science and engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and principal investigator on the project.
Results from independent testing have demonstrated that the UT Dallas coating can withstand atomic oxygen conditions better than those in space, Addou said.
Addou is collaborating with co-principal investigators and materials science and engineering professors Dr. Julia Hsu, a Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair in Nanoelectronics; Dr. William Vandenberghe; and Dr. Robert Wallace, the Jonsson School Distinguished Chair.
As the UT Dallas team continues its work to enhance the coating, Addou said he hopes the research can help extend the lifetime of satellites, which currently last about five years before falling back to Earth. Addou also dreams of enabling satellites to operate closer to Earth, in the lower end of LEO, where the environment is even harsher because of the much higher amount of atomic oxygen and increasing nitrogen concentration. Known as very low Earth orbit, this area is 60 to 280 miles above Earth.
The space-related research is a new area for the four investigators, who typically work on materials and interfaces for semiconductor science and technology. Hsu also conducts research related to solar-cell manufacturing.
Vandenberghe, who focuses on computer simulations and modeling, said he was eager to work on the project to help improve communication and navigation in space and to help monitor the space environment.
“Helping to make multiplanetary life possible is a childhood dream come true,” Vandenberghe said.
Joslin Prasanna, a materials science and engineering doctoral student, presented research — “Atomic Oxygen-Resistant Metal Oxide Coatings for Space Operations in Low-Earth Orbit” — from the team in September at the American Vacuum Society (AVS) International Symposium and Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina. Prasanna was recognized as an AVS Advanced Surface Engineering Division Rising Star for his presentation.
From left: Fatima Lamkadem, materials science and engineering doctoral student; Ishrat Moon, electrical engineering doctoral student; Geethanjali Bingi, physics senior; Dr. Rafik Addou, assistant professor of materials science and engineering; research scientist Dr. Javier Meza; Dr. Julia Hsu, a Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair in Nanoelectronics; Dr. William Vandenberghe, professor of materials science and engineering; Joslin Prasanna, materials science and engineering doctoral student; and Dr. Robert Wallace, the Jonsson School Distinguished Chair.
Credit
The University of Texas at Dallas
Milky Way Shows Gamma Ray Excess Due To Dark Matter Annihilation
The Milky Way.
Scientists have long suspected dark matter annihilation to be a source of these rays, but the rays’ spatial spread did not match the arrangement of dark matter they had predicted. Another theory argues that ancient millisecond pulsars could produce the rays.
Here, researchers modelled the formation of Milky Way-like galaxies under environmental conditions similar to those of Earth’s cosmic neighborhood, thereby reproducing simulated Milky Way-like galaxies that bare strong resemblance to the real thing. They found that dark matter does not radiate outwards from the Galactic Center but is instead organized similar to that of stars, meaning the former could just as equally have produced the excess gamma rays.
“When the FERMI space telescope pointed to the galactic centre, the results were startling. The telescope measured too many Gamma rays, the most energetic kind of light in the universe. Astronomers around the world were puzzled, and competing theories started pouring in to explain the so-called “gamma ray excess”, states Noam Libeskind from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP).
After much debate, two ideas rose to the fore: either these gamma rays were the result of millisecond pulsars (ultra-dense neutron stars that spin thousands of times per second) or from dark matter particles smashing into each other and annihilating. Both theories have their drawbacks. However, new results led by scientists at the AIP collaborating with the Hebrew University in Israel and Johns Hopkins University in the USA have shed new light on this problem, effectively confirming the theory that the gamma ray excess is due to dark matter annihilation.
The Milky Way galaxy has long been known to live in a so-called dark matter halo, a spherical region filled with dark matter around it. However, the extent to which this halo is aspherical or ellipsoidal has not been appreciated.
Moorits Muru, lead author of the paper, says: “We analysed simulations of the Milky Way and its dark matter halo and found that the flattening of this region is sufficient to explain the gamma ray excess as being due to dark matter particles self-annihilating. These calculations demonstrate that the hunt for dark matter particles (that can self- annihilate) should be encouraged and bring us one step closer to understanding the mysterious nature of these particles.”
Dark matter makes a comeback in galactic glow mystery
New research suggests that dark matter may once again hold the key to one of astronomy’s enduring mysteries: the excess of gamma rays shining from the Milky Way’s center. By modeling the galaxy’s early history and violent mergers, the team found that dark matter in the core may be shaped far differently than previously assumed, potentially matching the puzzling radiation pattern first detected by NASA’s Fermi telescope. The findings revive dark matter as a serious contender for explaining the Milky Way’s enigmatic central glow.
] A new study has reignited one of astrophysics’ biggest debates: what’s behind the mysterious glow of gamma rays at the center of our galaxy?
The research was led by Dr. Moorits Muru, along with Dr. Noam Libeskind and Dr. Stefan Gottlöber from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), in collaboration with Professor Yehuda Hoffman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Racah Institute of Physics, and Professor Joseph Silk of Oxford University, was published this week in Physical Review Letters, uses advanced cosmological simulations to show that dark matter — the invisible substance thought to make up most of the universe — may still be the best explanation for the excess of high-energy radiation first observed by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by this “Galactic Center Excess” — an unexpected concentration of gamma rays emanating from the Milky Way’s core. Early on, theorists proposed that dark matter particles might be colliding and annihilating each other, producing bursts of radiation in the process. But as data poured in, the spatial pattern of the rays didn’t line up neatly with predicted dark matter distributions. The leading alternative theory pointed instead to a population of ancient, rapidly spinning neutron stars called millisecond pulsars.
The team decided to take a new approach. Using a suite of high-resolution simulations known as Hestia, which model galaxies under conditions similar to our own cosmic neighborhood, they reconstructed how the Milky Way might have formed — including its early mergers and turbulent youth. These events, they found, could have reshaped the distribution of dark matter at the galaxy’s center.
Their results reveal a more complex, nonspherical dark matter structure than earlier models assumed — one that could reproduce the observed spread of gamma rays without invoking a large population of pulsars.
“The Milky Way’s history of collisions and growth leaves clear fingerprints on how dark matter is arranged at its core,” the researchers said. “When we account for that, the gamma-ray signal looks a lot more like something dark matter could explain.”
The findings don’t settle the debate, but they do restore dark matter’s status as a prime suspect in one of astrophysics’ intriguing mysteries. Future observations from instruments such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array, which will probe even higher-energy gamma rays, are expected to test these competing theories more decisively.
“This study gives us a fresh way to interpret one of the most intriguing signals in the sky,” the team added. “Either we’ll confirm that dark matter leaves an observable trace — or we’ll learn something entirely new about the Milky Way itself.”
Journal
Physical Review Letters
Method of Research
Computational simulation/modeling
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
“Fermi-LAT Galactic Center Excess morphology of dark matter in simulations of the Milky Way galaxy
Article Publication Date
16-Oct-2025
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