Image courtesy of International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist; J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (Intl Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Joel Kontinen
Astronomers have discovered that 3I/ATLAS is carrying methanol and other chemicals that were probably important in the origin of life. Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known visitor to our solar system from elsewhere.
The
interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is belching out carbon-rich chemical compounds at
higher rates than almost any other comet in our solar system. One of these
compounds is methanol, a key ingredient in prebiotic chemistry that
hasn’t been seen in other interstellar objects.
3I/ATLAS, which is only the third visitor to our solar system from elsewhere in the galaxy, appears to be quite unlike any comet from our own galactic neighbourhood. As it travelled towards the sun, an envelope of water vapour and gas rapidly grew around it, which also contained much greater amounts of carbon dioxide than we see in typical solar system comets. The comet light also appeared to be much redder than is typical, surface chemistry, and it began releasing its gases while relatively far away from the sun, an indication that it might not have passed close to another star for hundreds of millions of years, or since it left its home star system.
Millions of years and evolution are tied together in this
study. Both cannot be believed. Live
needs a designer, that evolution is not.
Source:
Alex Wilkins 2025
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