Building blocks of life detected on 3I/ATLAS, scientists report

NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft detected organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide and methane on the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, and some researchers say these findings prompt questions about the origin of those materials.

NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft detected organic chemicals on the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS during December observations, and the finding has prompted public discussion about what those materials mean. Astronomers reported molecules including methanol, cyanide and methane, and noted that the object brightened after passing the Sun as sunlight caused trapped ices to sublimate. Study lead Carey Lisse described the emissions as a range of early Solar System materials commonly seen from comets, while SPHEREx scientist Phil Korngut said solar heating may have released chemicals not exposed to space for billions of years. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has publicly raised alternative possibilities and framed the results in terms of longer-standing hypotheses about panspermia and engineered dispersal. What was observed: - SPHEREx recorded organic molecules on 3I/ATLAS, including methanol, cyanide and methane. - The object brightened after perihelion, consistent with sunlight-driven sublimation of volatiles such as water, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. - Study lead Carey Lisse said the emissions include organic molecules, soot and rock dust that are typically emitted by a comet. - Phil Korngut commented that solar heating may have released a mix of chemicals that had been shielded from space for billions of years. - Avi Loeb has described the methane as unusual and has proposed, as a hypothesis, that it could be produced by life and floated a hypothetical interceptor spacecraft scenario. Summary: The observations confirm the presence of organic molecules on 3I/ATLAS and have renewed discussion about their origin. Some scientists characterize the materials as typical cometary emissions while others, including Avi Loeb, have raised life-related hypotheses and speculative mission ideas. Whether the detected chemicals indicate biological activity is undetermined at this time.