The central regions of galaxies could provide the most promising venues for the large-scale synthesis of prebiotic molecules by Miller-Urey type processes.Exploding supermassive stars would produce the basic chemical elements necessary to form molecules in high-density mass flows under near-thermodynamic conditions. Such molecules are then acted upon by X-rays in a manner that simulates the conditions required for Miller-Urey type processing. The Miller-Urey molecular products could initially lead to the origination and dispersal of microbial life on a cosmological scale. Thereafter the continuing production of such molecules would serve as the feedstock of life.

Date Published: 6 July 1998
PDF: 5 pages
Proc. SPIE 3441, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology, (6 July 1998); doi: 10.1117/12.319846

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3441:
Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology
Richard B. Hoover, Editor(s)