ACEIZE Tracking the current state of Science and Technology

At Ames Research Center in California NASA scientists have successfully created uracil in a laboratory environment. Creating a relatively simple organic compound such as uracil is an important step to understanding the formative process of more complex organic molecules according to Stefanie Milam, an astrochemist with NASA. The implication here being that NASA has observed more molecular organic complexity on a meteorite than simple building blocks such as uracil. A quick search revealed that various amino acids have been found on meteorites as well as other nucleobases such as uracil.

The uracil was created by taking a sample of ice laced with pyrimidine. This ice was then kept in an environment around -240 ° Fahrenheit (-207° C), high radiation, and a near vacuum. This environment was selected as an approximation of space-like conditions. The ice was also exposed to ultraviolet radiation. As the ice warmed, uracil was found within the sample.