Interstellar detection of erythrulose sugar

In July 2026, an international team led by Izaskun Jiménez‑Serra of Spain’s Center for Astrobiology announced the first identification of the four‑carbon sugar erythrulose in the interstellar medium. Using ultra‑sensitive observations from the 40‑m Yebes radio telescope and the 30‑m IRAM telescope, the researchers detected twelve spectral lines matching laboratory data for erythrulose in the G+0.693‑0.027 molecular cloud near the Milky Way’s centre.

The finding, published in Nature Astronomy, shows that complex organic molecules can form on icy dust grains in cold space and may have been delivered to early Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment, with estimates of up to tens of millions of tonnes reaching the planet. The later report highlighted that erythrulose appears far more abundantly than simpler three‑carbon sugars, challenging prevailing astrochemical models that assume molecules grow by sequential carbon addition. Researchers emphasized the sugar’s relevance to DNA and RNA backbones, reinforcing the idea that essential life‑building molecules can originate in space.

Together, the reports underscore a shift in understanding of chemical pathways that could seed planetary surfaces with biomolecules, offering new insight into the origins of life.