The Emergence of Prebiotic Chemistry in the ISM

Izaskun Jimenez-Serra; Giuliana Cosentino; Francisco Montenegro-Montes; Laura Colzi; Victor M. Rivilla; Miguel Sanz-Novo; Marta Rey-Montejo; David San Andres; Sergio Martin; Shaoshan Zeng; Amelie Godard Palluet; Miguel A. Requena-Torres; German Molpeceres; Pamela Klassen; Doug Johnston; Francesco Fontani; Silvia Spezzano; Elena Redaelli; Juris Kalvans; Yuri Aikawa; Belen Tercero; Pablo de Vicente; Serena Viti; Emilio J. Cocinero; Aran Insausti

arXiv · 2512.14772

The Emergence of Prebiotic Chemistry in the ISM

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Abstract

Contrary to popular belief, the interstellar medium (ISM) is not empty; it is filled with atoms, dust particles, and molecules. Some of these molecules may have been the very building blocks of life that, delivered to Earth via comets and meteorites, could have given rise to Life itself. A large-area single-dish telescope with superb sensitivity, field-of-view and multi-band instruments will allow us to explore the limits of chemical complexity in the interstellar medium, across our Galaxy and in external galaxies, determining whether amino acids, sugars, or RNA/DNA nucleobases can form in space.

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Izaskun Jimenez-Serra, Giuliana Cosentino, Francisco Montenegro-Montes, Laura Colzi, Victor M. Rivilla, Miguel Sanz-Novo, Marta Rey-Montejo, David San Andres, Sergio Martin, Shaoshan Zeng, Amelie Godard Palluet, Miguel A. Requena-Torres, German Molpeceres, Pamela Klassen, Doug Johnston, Francesco Fontani, Silvia Spezzano, Elena Redaelli, Juris Kalvans, Yuri Aikawa, Belen Tercero, Pablo de Vicente, Serena Viti, Emilio J. Cocinero, Aran Insausti. 2025-12-16. The Emergence of Prebiotic Chemistry in the ISM. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.14772

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