16 June 2017
ALMA has observed stars like the Sun at a very early stage in their formation and found traces of methyl isocyanate — a chemical building block of life. This is the first ever detection of this prebiotic molecule towards solar-type protostars, the sort from which our Solar System evolved. The discovery could help astronomers understand how life arose on Earth.
See the ESO press release: http://www.eso.org/public/unitedkingdom/news/eso1718/?lang
Contact at LAB: Audrey Coutens