Astronomers from MIT have uncovered an astonishingly rich mix of molecules in a region of space known as the Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1).
This dark, cold cloud of gas—where sun-like stars are born—has turned out to contain more than 100 different kinds of molecules, more than have ever been found in any other known interstellar cloud.
To make this discovery, researchers used the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia—the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope.
Over a period of more than 1,400 observing hours, the team collected extremely faint radio signals emitted by molecules drifting in space.
These signals act like fingerprints, allowing scientists to identify what molecules are present.
The results were published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series and made fully available to the public.
The MIT team, led by Professor Brett McGuire, catalogued 102 molecules in total.
Most of these were hydrocarbons (molecules made only of carbon and hydrogen) and nitrogen-based compounds. Interestingly, these differ from the oxygen-rich molecules found around young stars.
The researchers also discovered ten aromatic molecules—ring-shaped carbon structures that form the basis of many complex organic compounds, including those related to life.
Although these aromatic molecules make up only a small fraction of the material in TMC-1, their presence suggests that the early stages of star and planet formation already include a wide variety of carbon chemistry.
Because the dataset is enormous, the researchers developed an automated system to sort and analyze the signals, using advanced statistical techniques to measure the amounts of each molecule and even detect variations that include heavier isotopes like carbon-13 or deuterium.
“This is the largest molecular line survey ever released to the public,” said postdoctoral researcher Ci Xue, who led the project.
“It provides a new baseline for understanding the chemistry that exists before stars and planets form.”
Professor McGuire added that these data have already led to several groundbreaking discoveries, including the first detection of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in space—solving a decades-old cosmic mystery.
By freely sharing their findings, the MIT team hopes other scientists will use the data to uncover more clues about the origins of organic matter and, ultimately, the chemical pathways that lead from simple molecules in space to the complex chemistry of life.
