Astronomers using the ALMA telescope detect a chemical starter kit for life around young stars.

Astronomers studying planet-forming regions around young stars have detected a crucial chemical starter kit that could reveal conditions necessary for life. Using the ALMA telescope array in Chile, a multinational team investigated eleven low-mass protostars to map complex organic molecules, which contain carbon atoms and help build planets.

Led by University of Bern astrophysicist Maria Drozdovskaya, the COMPASS project made two surprising discoveries. First, they detected deuterium-rich methanol—where regular hydrogen is replaced by a heavier isotope—in the planet-forming disk of the young star IRAS 4A2, located roughly one thousand light-years away. Second, they found natural methanol masers, which are microwave versions of lasers, around more than half of the studied protostars.

Methanol matters because it is the most abundant complex organic molecule found in interstellar space. Detecting natural masers around calmer, low-mass protostars challenges previous assumptions, as scientists previously only spotted them near turbulent, high-mass stars. The findings suggest these masers are produced by universal processes in star formation, such as thermal bursts creating shock fronts in planet-forming disks.

The initial results appear in seven papers published in the October 2026 issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.

The COMPASS team plans to spend several more years analyzing data and preparing follow-up