AI 中文总结
本研究通过实验证实类太空条件下无需液态水即可形成肽，挑战了早期生化演化的水中心模型，为生命起源提供了新的潜在环境。
AI 中文摘要
生命分子构建单元的起源是科学领域的核心问题。一些α-氨基酸，如最简单的蛋白原氨基酸甘氨酸，已在陨石和彗星中被探测到，表明部分益生分子存在地外起源。然而，天体物理条件下肽（通过肽键连接的α-氨基酸短链）的形成机制仍未明确。本研究显示，在电离辐射作用下，星际冰模拟物中可形成蛋白质构建单元，且无需液态水存在。采用低温下受质子辐照的同位素标记甘氨酸，研究人员检测到最简单的二肽甘氨酰甘氨酸的形成，同时生成氘代与非氘代水作为副产物。红外光谱与高分辨率质谱证实了肽键的形成，还揭示了其他复杂有机物种的产生。这些发现证明了类太空条件下肽形成的非水途径，表明此类分子可在寒冷星际介质中形成并融入正在形成的行星系统。该结果挑战了早期生化演化的水中心模型，拓宽了生命起源的潜在环境范围。
英文摘要
The origin of the molecular building blocks of life is a central question in science. A few $α$-amino acids such as glycine, the simplest proteinogenic amino acid, have been detected in meteorites and comets, indicating an extraterrestrial origin for some prebiotic molecules. However, the formation of peptides, short chains of $α$-amino acids linked by peptide bonds, under astrophysical conditions has remained unresolved. Here we show that the building blocks of proteins can form in interstellar ice analogues exposed to ionising radiation, without the presence of liquid water. Using isotopically labelled glycine irradiated with protons at cryogenic temperatures, we detect the formation of glycylglycine, the simplest dipeptide, along with deuterated and non-deuterated water as by-products. Peptide bond formation is confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry, which also reveal the production of other complex organic species. These findings demonstrate a non-aqueous route to peptide formation under space-like conditions and suggest that such molecules could form in the cold interstellar medium and be incorporated into forming planetary systems. Our results challenge aqueous-centric models of early biochemical evolution and broaden potential settings for the origins of life.
Comments22 pages, 6 figures
Journal refHopkinson, A.T., Wilson, A.M., Pitfield, J. et al. An interstellar energetic and non-aqueous pathway to peptide formation. Nat Astron 10, 531 539 (2026)
DOI：10.1038/s41550-025-02765-7
