Astronomers find sugar near the creamy center of the Milky Way (no caramel, though)
A new study confirms the first monosaccharide detection in the interstellar medium: erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, found in large gas and dust clouds near the Milky Way’s center. Using ultrasensitive surveys from Spain’s Yebes 40m and IRAM 30m telescopes, researchers matched 12 signal sets to erythrulose’s spectral fingerprint. They estimate it’s at least eight times more abundant than similar three-carbon sugars, which remain undetected. Models suggest erythrulose forms efficiently on interstellar dust grains from simpler molecules, hinting it could seed the prebiotic chemistry that leads to nucleic acids. The finding broadens the idea that space may supply sugar building blocks, potentially contributing to life’s chemistry beyond Earth. And yes, erythrulose also occurs on Earth, including in raspberries