III. Ecosmos: A Revolutionary Fertile, Habitable, Solar-Bioplanet, Incubator Lifescape

G. An Astrochemistry to Astrobiological Spontaneity

Lubick, Naomi. Goldilocks and the Three Planets. Astronomy. July, 2003. Thoughts on the special life-bearing qualities of Earth such as water and atmosphere vs. Venus which is too hot and Mars as too cold.

Maiolino, Roberto and Filippo Mannucci. De Re Metallica: The Cosmic Chemical Evolution of Galaxies. arXiv:1811.09642. In an invited review for Astronomy & Astrophysics, Cambridge University and Arcetri Observatory, Italy astrophysicists post a latest 119 page review of our collaborative, instrumental ability to quantify and describe to any extent the elemental and compound makeup of ancient stellar and galactic formations.

The evolution of the content of heavy elements in galaxies, the relative chemical abundances, their spatial distribution, and how these scale with various galactic properties, provide unique information on the galactic evolutionary processes across the cosmic epochs. In recent years major progress has been made in constraining the chemical evolution of galaxies and inferring key information relevant to our understanding of the main mechanisms involved in galaxy evolution. After an overview, we discuss the observed scaling relations between metallicity and galaxy properties, the observed relative chemical abundances, how the chemical elements are distributed within galaxies, and how these properties evolve across the cosmic epochs. (Abstract excerpt)

Mason, Nigel, et al. Systems Astrochemistry: A New Doctrine for Experimental Studies. arXiv:2107.02924. Akin to other unified fields, University of Kent, UK astroscientists propose a comprehensive regimen so as to better quantify an innate ecosmic fertility which seems made and meant to complexify into organic life and our curious speciesphere sapience.

Laboratory experiments are vital to deciphering the chemistry of the interstellar medium (ISM) and the role that complex organic molecules (COMs) play in the origins of life. To date, most studies in experimental astrochemistry have used reductionist approaches. Here we propose a new systems astrochemistry method which draws on current work in the field of prebiotic chemistry, This integral synthesis would focus on the emergent properties of the chemical system by performing the simultaneous variation of multiple parameters. (Abstract excerpt)

McGuire, Brett. 2018 Census of Interstellar, Circumstellar, Extragalactic, Protoplanetary Disk, and Exoplanetary Molecules. arXiv:1809.09132. A National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Virginia physical chemist posts a 68 page survey over the past half century and especially the 2010s of our collaborative search for and detection of complex biochemical precursors across the celestial spacescape. The paper cites common facilities and techniques, detailed tables of two to 12 atom compounds, exoplanet atmospheres, and other aspects. If we may witness an innately organic universe, nature’s fecund biomateriality seems made to complexity and develop toward life and entities wherever it can.

To date, 204 individual molecular species, comprised of 16 different elements, have been detected in the interstellar and circumstellar medium by astronomical observations. These molecules range in size from two atoms to seventy, and have been detected across the electromagnetic spectrum from cm-wavelengths to the ultraviolet. This census presents a summary of the first detection of each molecular species, including the observational facility, wavelength range, transitions, and enabling laboratory spectroscopic work, as well as listing tentative and disputed detections. Tables of molecules detected in interstellar ices, external galaxies, protoplanetary disks, and exoplanetary atmospheres are provided. A number of visual representations of this aggregate data are presented and briefly discussed in context. (Abstract)

McGuire, Brett. 2021 Census of Interstellar, Circumstellar, Extragalactic Protoplanetary Disk, and Exoplanetary Molecules.. arXiv:2109.13848. An MIT astrobiochemist provides a 73 page, tabular and graphic display based on the latest worldwide findings. These celestial chemicals are arranged by how many atoms they contain, from two to thirteen and more. A Periodic Table is posted to show which 19 elements - H, He, C, N, O, F, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ar, K, Ca, Ti, V, Fe – are found to be involved so far. Again our interest is an appearance that nature’s materiality well seems to possess an innate fertility, from which eons later a sentient bioworld could reconstruct in amazement.

To date, 241 individual molecular species, comprised of 19 different elements, have been detected in the interstellar and circumstellar medium by astronomical observations. These molecules range in size from two atoms to seventy, and have been detected across the electromagnetic spectrum. This census sums up the first detection of each molecular species, the observational facility, wavelength range, transitions, and laboratory spectroscopic work. Tables of molecules detected in interstellar ices, external galaxies, protoplanetary disks, and exoplanetary atmospheres are provided. (Abstract)

What We Are Thinking About: Lifecycle of Carbon in the Universe: As much as 25% of all interstellar carbon may be locked into large aromatic molecules. How these species are formed and incorporated into other molecules, and how these processes are tied to star- and planet-formation, are open issues. Linking Astrochemistry to Astrobiology: How far does chemistry advance in the interstellar medium before it is incorporated into planets, as the molecular feedstock from which life arises? Cosmic Origins of Biological Homochirality: All life on earth uses a single enantiomer (handedness) of most chiral molecules in biology. Thermal fluctuations or heterogenous catalysis at mineral surfaces might be a reason, but also the inheritance of initial seed excess from space. (McGuire Research Group site)

McSween, Harry and Gary Huss. Cosmochemistry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. A formidable 500 page text as a worldwide collaboration marshals a growing ability to enter, study and quantify a celestial materiality that along with resident organic biomatter seems as a fertile ground for risen life and our introspection.

Meadows, Victoria, et al, eds. Planetary Astrobiology. Tempe: University of Arizona Press, 2020. This latest 550 page Space Science Series edition with 19 chapters by seventy-five authorities surveys a wide scope from how bioworlds form, life’s deep origins, a whole Earth exemplar, a lively solar system and on to near and far orbital exoplanets and biosignatures. For example, Part i: Earth covers Creation of a Habitable Planet (search Zahnie), The Environmental Roots of the Origin of Life (Baross) and Life as a Planetary Process. Thus its running theme considers a whole geo/biosphere evolution. The composite volume could then be well attributed to a global sapiensphere persona whom is capable of this spatial and temporal vista. Further on in the work we note Earth as an Exoplanet, Origins of Earth’s Water, and Characterizing Exoplanet Habitability (Kopparapu).

Meinert, Cornelia, et al. Ribose and Related Sugars from Ultraviolet Irradiation of Interstellar Ice Analogs. Science. 352/208, 2016. An eight person team with postings in France, Mexico, and Denmark found that complex prebiotic molecules can be formed in a celestial medium of water, methanol, and ammonia under UV radiation. The most significant is the R in RNA, as a news report notes, which is a key precursor for life and limb.

Ribose is the central molecular subunit in RNA, but the prebiotic origin of ribose remains unknown. We observed the formation of substantial quantities of ribose and a diversity of structurally related sugar molecules such as arabinose, xylose, and lyxose in the room-temperature organic residues of photo-processed interstellar ice analogs initially composed of H2O, CH3OH, and NH3. Our results suggest that the generation of numerous sugar molecules, including the aldopentose ribose, may be possible from photochemical and thermal treatment of cosmic ices in the late stages of the solar nebula. Our detection of ribose provides plausible insights into the chemical processes that could lead to formation of biologically relevant molecules in suitable planetary environments. (Abstract)

Meyer, Michael. Recipes for Planet Formation. Physics World. November-December, 2009. The director of the Star and Planet Formation Research Group at the Institute for Astronomy, ETH, Zurich, surveys the latest science as humankind reconstructs how our ovular earth came to be, and begins to realize a fertile cosmos which by its innate nature forms planetary objects wherever and however possible.

Millar, T. J.. Faraday Discussion on Astrochemistry at High Resolution. arXiv.2307.13350. An emeritus Queen’s University Belfast astroscholar provides concluding remarks as a fifty year retrospect of scientific discoveries across the galactic raiment of the natural occasion of an increasing presence of just biochemical precursors that innate living complexities require to reach an evolutionary development. The survey courses from early 1970 assays to today’s computational prowess.

Fifty years on from the first detailed chemical kinetic modelling of astronomical sources, I provide some introductory comments on the history of astrochemistry, summarise some personal views on the topics covered in this discussion meeting, and conclude with some thoughts on its future development.

The development of astrochemistry over the past 50 years has been astounding, driven forward by the innovation of thousands of scientists, engineers and technicians whose ingenuity has led to the availability of facilities such as the ALMA and JWST. With these, we are able to probe astrochemistry from galactic size scales at high redshi, to au scales in protoplanetary disks and to even smaller scales in exoplanetary atmospheres. (9)

NASA, Astrobiological Institute. Abstracts. Astrobiology. 5/2, 2005. From the biennial meeting of the NAI, April 2005, summaries of many papers in these areas: Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems, Extrasolar Planets, Origins of Life, Futures Technologies, Exploration and Societal Issues, Evolution of Life, Tracing Life, and Evolution in the Solar System. A survey of the latest projects and progress as earthkind seeks to comprehend the universe and itself.

Navrotsky, Alexandra and Kristina Lilova. Materials of the Universe: The Final Chemical Frontier. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. 5/8, 2021. Arizona State University astrochemists introduce a virtual collection of topical papers from refractory ceramics to organic solids.

The concept of Materials of the Universe (MotU) is to unite cosmology, astrophysics, astronomy, planetary science, mineralogy, and petrology with materials science, chemistry, physics, and biology to address their complex evolutionary chemistries. We need to understand their formation, stability, catalytic activity, and rheology over a range of temperatures, pressures, and compositions not yet imagined. This MotU Special Issue has contributions across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields inspired by materials under extreme conditions at low- and high-temperature and pressure, ultrahigh-vacuum, radiation fields, and far from equilibrium conditions.

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