研究发现,宇宙尘埃可以帮助形成生命在太空中的基石。 Cosmic dust may help form life’s building blocks in space, study finds.

科学家发现,根据首项此类研究,空间尘埃可能有助于创建生命的构件。 Scientists have found that space dust may help create life’s building blocks, according to the first study of its kind. 来自联合王国、德国和美国各机构的研究人员发现,矿物尘埃起到催化剂的作用,使二氧化碳和氨等简单分子能够在寒冷的真空空间条件下形成更复杂的化合物,如氨基氨,这是尿素的前身。 Researchers from institutions in the UK, Germany, and the U.S. discovered that mineral dust acts as a catalyst, enabling simple molecules like carbon dioxide and ammonia to form more complex compounds—such as ammonium carbamate, a precursor to urea—under cold, vacuum-like space conditions. 实验显示,这些反应只有在尘粒存在时才有效发生,表明宇宙尘埃为生物前化学提供了基本表面。 Experiments showed these reactions only occurred efficiently when dust grains were present, suggesting cosmic dust provides essential surfaces for prebiotic chemistry. 该小组计划研究类似过程是否产生其他与生命有关的分子,以及它们是否出现在今天形成行星系统的过程中。 The team plans to study whether similar processes produce other life-related molecules and if they occur in forming planetary systems today.