# Sugar molecules discovered in deep space for the first time Milky Way sugar discovery sheds light on the origins of life. - **Source:** [Popular Science](https://brifing.si/source/cc3d313a-759c-4802-b881-fc8585f35ef9) - **Published:** 2026-07-13 - **Topic:** [Data & AI](https://brifing.si/c/data-ai) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/9082a146-3f44-44ab-9aef-9f44f3fa8650 ## Astronomical discovery Scientists have detected erythrulose, a type of sugar, in a molecular cloud near the Milky Way's center for the first time. This four-carbon compound, found in sunless tanning creams and raspberries on Earth, is considered one of life's fundamental building blocks. ## Sweet foundations of life Sugar molecules play critical roles in metabolic processes and form the basis of DNA/RNA. However, how Earth's first sugars formed remains a mystery. The new discovery suggests life may have begun with organic molecules from space. ## Advanced telescope technology Spectroscopic surveys using sensitive telescopes at France's IRAM institute identified 12 spectral lines matching erythrulose samples in the G+0.693-0.027 cloud, 27,000 light-years from Earth. These lines perfectly matched laboratory measurements. ## Unexpected finding Researchers found eight times more erythrulose than three-carbon sugars in the cloud. Astrophysicist Jiménez-Serra called this 'completely unexpected,' challenging the prevailing view that molecules grow by adding carbon atoms sequentially. ## Cosmic bombardment era Findings suggest 0.5-55 million tons of erythrulose may have hit Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment (4.1-3.8 billion years ago). This amount could have been sufficient to kickstart our planet's first metabolic processes. ## Life's traces in space The discovery hints that other crucial sugars like ribose (RNA's building block) might exist in space. Astrobiologist Briones emphasizes this finding opens a new chapter in origins-of-life research. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.popsci.com/science/sugar-discovered-in-space/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._