The surprising organic chemistry in interstellar space

Thanks to advances in astronomical technology, we now know that dust clouds in interstellar space are ever-evolving regions where densities of matter change, atomic clouds transform into molecular clouds that collapse under gravity giving birth to protostars. More than 260 different molecular species have now been detected in interstellar space, including alcohols, aldehydes, acids and amides and many other organic molecules – some familiar on Earth, some not stable here at all.