Formaldehyde: Poison could have set the stage for the origins of life
Monday, April 4, 2011 - 15:33
in Physics & Chemistry
Formaldehyde, a poison and a common molecule throughout the universe, is likely the source of the solar system's organic carbon solids -- abundant in both comets and asteroids. Scientists have long speculated about the how organic, or carbon-containing, material became a part of the solar system's fabric. New research shows that these complex organic solids were likely made from formaldehyde in the primitive solar system.