A type of sugar found naturally in raspberries has been detected near the centre of the Milky Way, marking the first time the molecule has been identified beyond the Solar System. The discovery has strengthened the idea that some of the essential ingredients for life may be more common across the universe than previously thought.
Researchers identified the sugar, called erythrulose, in a giant cloud of gas and dust known as G+0.693-0.027, close to the Milky Way's centre. The findings suggest that complex organic molecules capable of supporting prebiotic chemistry may have formed in interstellar space long before planets came into existence.
