Astronomers Discover Benzene Molecules in a Planet-Forming Disk Around a Young Star
Astronomers have just made a startling discovery: a planet-forming disk around a newborn star is made of benzene! This has implications for how planets are formed around stars and could provide clues to the chemistry of distant exoplanets. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the team of astronomers found that the disk is incredibly rich in complex carbon-based molecules like benzene, which is one of the simplest and most important organic compounds in nature. This discovery could provide insight into how planets are born and could even offer clues to the chemistry of distant exoplanets.
source: Phys.org