this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2025

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Chemists Explore 'Super Alcohol' that May Point to Cosmic Life (olemiss.edu)

submitted 1 week ago by cm0002@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world

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Researchers have for the first time isolated a compound that could open new doors to discovering the chemistry that supports life in space.

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[–] MysteriousSophon21@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

For anyone wondering, these "super alcohols" are actually polyalcohols that can remain liquid at extremely low temperatures (like -200°C) where normal alcohols would freeze. Scientists think they might be present on icy moons and could potentially serve as solvents for life in enviroments where water would be solid ice. Pretty wild to think about life evolving in a completely different liquid medium!