Astronomers discover sugar in space that's also found in raspberries: "Just floating out in the...
Listen to Course
0:00
0:00
#1
Astronomers Detect Sugar Molecule in Interstellar Space Linked to Raspberries and the Origins of Life
天文學家在星際空間中偵測到與覆盆子及生命起源有關的糖分子
#2
A team of astronomers has identified a remarkable organic compound drifting through the vast expanses between stars, a discovery that could reshape our understanding of space chemistry.
一個天文學家團隊在恆星之間遼闊的空間中，發現了一種漂浮著的奇特有機化合物，這一發現可能會重塑我們對太空化學的理解。
#3
The sugar, known as erythrulose, was detected within the interstellar medium — sparse clouds of gas and dust scattered throughout the galaxy.
這種被稱為赤鮮酮糖的糖，是在星際介質——即散布在整個星系中稀疏的氣體和塵埃雲——之中被偵測到的。
#4
Notably, this same compound occurs naturally in raspberries and is commonly used in commercial self-tanning products.
值得注意的是，這種相同的化合物天然存在於覆盆子中，且常用於商業仿曬產品中。
#5
Researchers employed two dish-shaped radio telescopes located in Spain to gather spectral data from a massive gas cloud near the Milky Way's centre.
研究人員利用位於西班牙的兩台碟形電波望遠鏡，從銀河系中心附近的一個巨大氣體雲中收集光譜數據。
#6
By comparing the telescope signals with laboratory samples, they confirmed the presence of erythrulose in gaseous form.
透過將望遠鏡信號與實驗室樣本進行比對，他們證實了氣態赤鮮酮糖的存在。
#7
The findings, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, represent the latest type of sugar ever identified beyond Earth.
這些發表在《自然天文學》期刊上的研究結果，代表了在地球之外所發現最新型態的糖類。
#8
Were it not for the broader significance of sugars in biology, such a discovery might seem merely whimsical.
若非糖類在生物學中具有更廣泛 summit 的意義，這樣的發現可能顯得僅是奇思妙想。
#9
However, scientists have emphasised that different sugar varieties fuel cellular processes and even constitute components of DNA.
然而，科學家強調，不同的糖類能為細胞運作提供能量，甚至構成去氧核糖核酸（DNA）的組成部分。
#10
Understanding how these organic compounds form in interstellar environments is therefore crucial to unravelling the chemical prerequisites for life itself.
因此，理解這些有機化合物在星際環境中如何形成，對於解開生命本身的化學先決條件至關重要。
#11
This detection is by no means the first instance of intriguing space chemistry.
這次的發現絕非迷人太空化學的第一個案例。
#12
Approximately twenty-five years ago, scientists spotted a molecular cousin of table sugar near the galactic centre.
大約二十五年前，科學家在銀河系中心附近發現了食用糖的分子親戚。
#13
More recently, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft retrieved black grains from asteroid Bennu that yielded additional sugars alongside a peculiar gum-like substance.
較近期的情況是，美國國家航空暨太空總署的歐西里斯-雷克斯太空船從小行星貝努採集了黑色顆粒，這些顆粒產生了額外的糖分以及一種奇特的黏膠狀物質。
#14
Researchers have argued that these extraterrestrial sugar samples lend credibility to hypotheses about how the earliest forms of life on Earth may have sustained themselves.
研究人員認為，這些地球外的糖分樣本為關於地球上最早期的生命形式如何維持生計的假說提供了可信度。
#15
The region where erythrulose was found has also been traversed by NASA's twin Voyager probes, the farthest spacecraft ever launched from Earth.
發現赤鮮酮糖的區域，也曾被美國國家航空暨太空總署的雙子航海家探測器穿越過，這兩艘探測器是從地球發射過最遙遠的太空船。
#16
That such a familiar organic compound should be floating freely through the cosmos strikes many researchers as both humbling and profoundly exciting.
這樣一個如此熟悉的有機化合物竟然在宇宙中自由漂浮，這讓許多研究人員感到既謙卑又無比興奮。
#17
Should subsequent observations confirm similar sugars in other galactic regions, the implications for astrobiology would be far-reaching indeed.
若隨後的觀測證實其他星系區域存在類似的糖類，這對天體生物學的啟示確實將會影響深遠。