Astrochemistry The Cradle of Life

1. Astrochemistry The Cradle of Life Nigel Mason Dept of Physical Sciences

2. Introduction Perhaps the great unanswered questions of modern science is • Where and how did life begin on Earth ? And • Is there life elsewhere in the universe ?

3. Introduction Lets take a vote ! Who believes there is life elsewhere in the universe ?

4. Introduction Lets ask a slightly different question Who believes there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe which is able to establish a science programme to look for life ?

5. Introduction To answer the questions Where and how did life begin on Earth ? And Is there life elsewhere in the universe ? We need to answer scientific questions • Are the conditions for sustaining life common throughout the universe ?

6. Introduction To answer the questions Where and how did life begin on Earth ? And Is there life elsewhere in the universe ? We need to answer scientific questions • Are the conditions for sustaining life common throughout the universe ? • How is the material needed for life (pre-biotic material) formed ?

7. Chemical origins of life • To understand how life was formed we need to know how and where chemical elements of life were made • What are major chemical elements of life ?

8. Chemical origins of life • The major molecule of life (as we know it) is DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid • Major elements are Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorous.

9. Nucleobases • Adenine • Guanine • Thymine • Cytosine • Paired in DNA • AT • CG

10. Building DNA DNA is made up of smaller molecules which must have assembled first from smaller molecules such as Amino acids So if we want to know how DNA was formed we start by looking for how these smaller (prebiotic) molecules are formed

11. History of Origins of Life Research Scientific investigation of origins of life are recent Aleksandr Oparin 1894 -1980 Oparin considered how basic organic chemicals might form into larger chemical systems which were the possible precursors of cells - from which primitive living things could develop. He suggested life may have begun in early oceans Since the surface was too exposed to UV light, volcanic eruptions acid rain and meteor impacts for life to survive,

12. Exploring origins of life Oparin’s hypotheses were not tested for some 40 years until Harold Urey and Stanley MillerMarch 7, 1930 - May 20, 2007 performed a famous experiment to see if the chemical ingredients of life can be made in the atmosphere of a planet .

13. The UREY MILLER Experiment. • The Urey Miller Experiment • Mixture of Water, Hydrogen, Methane and Ammonia • Generate a discharge as in lightening • See what you make !

14. + energy Glycine Amino acid Molecules formed in planetary atmospheres – Urey Miller expts CH4 + NH3 + H2 ? e.g. in the gaseous atmosphere’s of new planets

15. The OU Urey Miller experiment • Similar in design to the original. • 2 L glass bulb for the “atmosphere” • 200 ml water bulb • Heating provided by heating tapes

16. Urey Miller Results • Urey-Miller was run for a week, liquid was extracted from the flask • Analysed with paper chromatogram • 3 Amino acids identified, Glycine, α-alanine and β-alanine • Hence it is possible to form prebiotic molecules from basic chemistry

17. But we now know … • These were not the gases in early earth atmosphere (more CO2 and SO2) • It takes too long to build these molecules – • Indeed according to our models we are not here yet !!!

18. But what if the ‘building blocks’ are formed in space itself?

19. Are biomolecules transported to Earth on comets, meteorites ? • Are biomolecules made in transit through Earth’s atmosphere on comets etc ? • Meteorites give evidence that amino acids are present in large numbers – some of which are not found naturally in terrestrial life • So are prebiotic molecules of life made in space ?

20. The Interstellar Medium is rich in molecules… from the simplest molecule (H2) to those necessary for the formation of life Credit: R.Ruiterkamp

21. >140 Interstellar and Circumstellar Molecules Glycine ? Acetic Acid Benzene Glycolaldehyde Cyanopolyynes Formic Acid National Radio Astronomy Observatory http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/allmols.html

22. What chemistry can occur in such environments ? • Temperatures are low … (As low as 10K) • In the ISM the density is extremely low … so probability of collisions is low • Hence it appears impossible to support chemistry ! But evidence of molecular species shows there must be complex chemistry !

23. What chemistry can occur in such environments ? • At low temperatures there is little or no thermal/kinetic energy • So chemistry must occur through reactions that need no energy. • Or • Reactions that are assisted e.g. by light

24. What chemistry can occur in such environments ? But such gas phase experiments can not explain all the chemistry in the ISM E.g. the formation of H2…. the most common molecule in the ISM can not be formed in the gas phase Instead it is formed by reactions on the surface of little dust grains made when stars die ! Little pieces of Carbon – like the soot on your Macdonalds ‘flame grilled’ burger Or silicon ( sand !!)

25. Chemistry on Dust grains • Some of these grains are covered with an icy mantle formed by freezing out of atoms/molecules from the gas phase • Hence we need to explore ice chemistry ! • The ices in the mantle are bombarded with cosmic rays, Ions, solar UV, electrons. • Chemistry occurs making molecules.

26. Experimental studies of chemical processing of astrochemical ices First we need to find a mimic of star light ! Stars are fuelled by nuclear reactions We can’t use these in a laboratory

27. Experiments at Synchrotron FacilitiesMimicing star lightUK DaresburyAarhus Denmark

28. Irradiation of H2O:CO2 ice Before irradiation CO2 CO2 13CO2 H2O H2O:CO2 H2O H2O

29. Irradiation of H2O:CO2 ice After irradiation for 1 hour CO2 CO2 13CO2 H2O H2CO3 (1488) H2CO3 (1703) H2CO3 (1295) CO (2140) H2CO3 (2850) CO3 (2044) H2O:CO2 H2CO3 (2580) H2O H2O

30. T(K) 250 200 150 100 50 Warm-up after H+ Irradiation of H2O:CO2 ice H2CO3 H2CO3

31. Conclusions ? • Experiments show possible to form molecules under conditions prevailing in the ISM • But these are small molecules • But can make larger (biological molecules) ?

32. So can we go on to make building blocks of life ? • How to create an amino acid ? • How to create a sugar in space ? • Synthesis in the ice mantles ?

33. Electron Induced Chemistry • Some examples of laboratory study of electron induced synthesis of molecules under astrochemical conditions. • Chemical synthesis in the Irradiation of 1:1 Mixture of NH3:CH3OH ice with 1 keV electrons at 20 K Chemistry of Planets

34. And So ? • In the lab we can now simulate what happens in space • We can show that the basic molecules of life can be made ‘easily’ throughout the universe by uniform process. • So the chemistry for life exists ‘everywhere’ • But what does this tell us about the origins of life on earth/elsewhere ??

35. We have the ‘building blocks’ but how do they assemble ? • How do/did simple molecules assemble to make DNA ?

36. We have the ‘building blocks’ but how do they assemble ? • How do/did simple molecules assemble to make DNA ? WE DONT KNOW !!!!!!!

37. In a prebiotic soup • Like the early oceans REMEMBER OPARIN • Where they were shielded fromharsh surface conditions • Smokers on seafloor

38. Other places where such assembly could begin • Clay world: Chemical reactions taking place within clay substrates or on the surface of rocks whch act as a ‘template’ for molecular assembly.

39. Other places where such assembly could begin • In ‘ponds’: Chemical reactions taking place within pools around volcanic vents and geysers

40. One possible clue Homochirality Life is chiral !!

41. One possible clue • Amino acids are left handed • Nucleic acid sugars right handed. • Homochiralityis essential for the formation of functional proteins. • How does/did homochirality arise ??? • We don’t know but it might give us a clue as ot way molecules are assembled

42. So back to opening question Is there life on another planet ?? The scientific search for Life • Not aliens ! • More likely bacterial, photosynthetic

43. Cyanobacteria  Architects of earth's atmosphere

44. Life on Mars ? More and more evidence suggests the Martian Surface was once capable of sustaining flowing water

45. ExoMars! • Life on Mars ? • Methane emissions • Fossil evidence

46. Martian Meteorites • Only 34 have been identified most since 2000 • Meteorite ALH 84001 in 1996 announce possible signs of fossil life

47. Martian Meteorites Now not believed to be fossils of bacteria

48. We have already found >1500 extra-solar Planets Search for Exoplanets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extrasolar_planets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrasolar_planet

49. Looking for planets The Transit method

50. The future imaging the planet . A possible design for Darwin, a proposed ESA telescope to explore extrasolar planets