image: Photo of Nebula NGC 1333. The James Webb telescope detected interstellar ice there, which could be the origin of stars and planets. The study shows that this ice was apparently also behind the formation of organic molecules, including all intermediaries in the Krebs cycle.
Credit: © ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Scholz, K. Muzic, A. Langeveld, R. Jayawardhana
- The Krebs cycle is a series of chemical reactions that occur in the cells of living beings. It can produce energy from the degradation of certain types of molecules (lipids, sugars, proteins). This energy is then used by the cell to produce the energy essential to cell function.
- These fine layers of ice form on dust grains in space, and are irradiated by ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays.
- Organic molecules that play a role in the chemical processes behind the origins of life.
- At the Nice Institute of Chemistry (CNRS/Université Côte d’Azur).
- Temperature of 10 kelvins (-263 °C), in a vacuum, and irradiation by energy particles simulating cosmic rays.
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Article Title
Abiotic Origin of the Citric Acid Cycle Intermediates.
Article Publication Date
21-Apr-2025