Laboratory Astrophysics and Cluster Physics Group physicist Dr Serge Krasnokutski and his team discovered something new. He said formation peptide requires the addition of water in the first step and involves the removal of water to complete formation. Peptides play an important role in life. That process will create the amino acid glycine, a key in the hunt for the origin of life.
Krasnokutski and his team wanted to see if they could regenerate the peptide in space. However, part of the mystery lies in the fact that space is a vacuum. This means there is no oxygen to help create the water needed for the process. With this new study, Krasnokutski and his team proved that previous conventions were not the only way these peptides were formed.
“Instead of finding out how amino acids are formed, we wanted to find out whether the ketene amino molecule could combine directly and form peptides. We do this under conditions that prevail in cosmic molecular clouds, namely on dust particles in a vacuum where the appropriate chemicals are present in abundance such as carbon, ammonia and carbon monoxide,” Krasnokutski said.
Making peptides in a vacuum
Quoted BGR, Wednesday (16/2), peptides play an important role in the origin of life. Therefore, knowing as much as possible about their formation was important. To find out the origin of life in outer space, research aims to create peptides in a vacuum.
The team used the substrate as a substitute for cosmic dust particles. Next, the team fused the particles with carbon, ammonia, and carbon monoxide. These are all components found in cosmic dust. The team combined them in air pressure at one quadrillion of normal air pressure and minus 263 degrees celsius.
The research yielded a polyglycine similar to the peptide that had been discovered and provided some important information in the search for the origin of life. Of course, that doesn’t tell if the original peptide came from outer space. At least it gives reason to start looking beyond Earth for the true origins of life.
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