Astronomers detect life's building blocks in ice around a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Complex organic molecules, essential for life, have been detected in ice around a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 160,000 light-years away. This discovery, made using the James Webb Space Telescope, includes molecules like methanol and acetic acid, suggesting life's building blocks can form in environments similar to the early universe. The findings indicate that complex chemistry can occur even in metal-poor settings, offering new insights into the origins of life beyond our galaxy.