The mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, classified by NASA and ESA as a comet, is passing through the solar system, releasing two key substances in the process: methanol and hydrogen cyanide. This combination initiates the chemical processes necessary for the creation of DNA and RNA, which has led scientists to consider the possibility of panspermia, ie the transfer of material that can lead to the appearance of life on other worlds.
Although the comet will pass within about 170 million miles of Earth on December 19, this year it will come much closer to Venus, Mars and Jupiter. Harvard professor Avi Loeb believes that particles rich in organic molecules could “fall” on these planets and their satellites, including icy worlds like Europa and Enceladus. In his opinion, 3I/ATLAS could play the role of a “friendly gardener” that sows the conditions for future life.
Recent ALMA observations have revealed that the comet is releasing an unusually large amount of methanol, more than 100 times that of hydrogen cyanide. Such a relationship, extremely rare among comets, chemically favors conditions more suitable for life than a toxic environment. This further intrigues scientists because it builds on previously noted deviations: a tail turned in an unexpected direction, a change in color during its approach to the Sun, and a trajectory that seems to defy gravity.
Although Loeb does not rule out the possibility of an artificial origin, NASA and most astronomers believe that it is a natural object that arose in a very different chemical environment of a distant planetary system, and therefore exhibits properties that are unusual for comets from our system.
As it approaches the Sun, the comet releases more and more gases. Hydrogen cyanide escapes predominantly from the core, while methanol is produced both in the core and in the vast gas mantle that extends hundreds of miles behind the object. Methanol, a simple alcohol, is common in space around young stars and planetary disks, while on Earth it is used by microorganisms and plants. Hydrogen cyanide, although toxic in large quantities, in smaller doses can participate in the formation of the basic compounds of DNA and amino acids.
Loeb concludes that the ratio of released chemicals indicates the benign rather than the destructive nature of the interstellar visitor: the chemical composition favors “life” rather than danger, leaving open the question of how much this comet may affect the future of biological processes throughout the solar system, reports MSN.