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submitted 3 days ago by solo@slrpnk.net to c/space@mander.xyz

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Erythrulose, a sugar found in raspberries, kiwis and many red fruits, also apparently exists in a giant molecular cloud of gas and dust near the center of our galaxy, some 26,745 light-years from Earth. This marks the first time a sugar has been seen in interstellar space. The results have been published in Nature Astronomy

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[-] oxbech@feddit.dk 62 points 3 days ago
[-] joeljoelle@piefed.blahaj.zone 32 points 3 days ago
[-] crimson_iris@piefed.social 4 points 3 days ago

First we get the sugar, then we get the power, then we get the women.

[-] Protoknuckles@lemmy.world 28 points 3 days ago

Is this the first calorie source found in space?

[-] eleijeep@piefed.social 26 points 3 days ago

A moment on the lips, 1x10^18^ seconds on the hips.

[-] RickyRigatoni@piefed.zip 23 points 3 days ago

So uh. What are the implications about extraterrestrial life here? Are there ways to make massive amounts of sugar that are non-biological?

[-] gigiocor@lemmy.eco.br 17 points 3 days ago

As a biologist, I have a guess, but take it as an informed guess : Pseudo-panspermia is a hypothesis in which life on Earth was created because organic molecules already existed in the universe, and fell on Earth, where the conditions were right for the processes that generate life, like a primordial soup. Discovering complex molecules in space supports the Pseudo-panspermia hypothesis, and if this process happened on Earth, it is possible that it happened in other planets where the conditions were also right.

[-] SillyDude@lemmy.zip 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

The dust that pervades the cloud’s cold, dark depths is key. Dust offers surfaces for atoms and molecules to glom onto, allowing them to become larger and more complex; it also blocks ultraviolet radiation and other high-energy light that could otherwise tear apart bigger compounds as they grow. Deeper in the clouds, more dust blocks more radiation, temperatures drop, and water and carbon dioxide ices coat the dust grains, along with molecules of increasing complexity.

[-] omega_x3@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago

Must... protect... sugar. Thieves everywhere. The strong must protect the sweet. The sweet... In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. Hey! Get off my sugar! Bad bees! Bad! Ow! Ow!! Oh, they're defending themselves somehow!

[-] MrKoyun@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Something's a little OFF here

[-] Korkki@lemmy.ml 17 points 3 days ago
[-] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago

Milky Way IPA, because we already named a bunch of hops after space names

[-] Zannsolo@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

So based on my experience it will be a cloud of mold next week

[-] regedit@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago

Don't tell my son.

[-] Shameless@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Welcome to the frosted zone

[-] Danarchy@lemmy.nz 3 points 3 days ago

A lil sweetener pack in gods cup o’ joe

[-] raspirate@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

I'm getting some subtle optical illusion effect from the thumbnail. It's a bit like this.

[-] omega_x3@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Must... protect... sugar. Thieves everywhere. The strong must protect the sweet. The sweet... In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. Hey! Get off my sugar! Bad bees! Bad! Ow! Ow!! Oh, they're defending themselves somehow!

this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2026
160 points (100.0% liked)

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