Scientists found a type of sugar in a cloud of gas and dust. This cloud is near the center of our galaxy.

科學家在雲狀的氣體與塵埃中發現了一種糖。這團雲位於我們銀河系的中心附近。

Scientists used two big radio telescopes in Spain. They found a sugar called erythrulose. This is the first real sugar they found in space.

科學家使用了兩台位於西班牙的大型無線電望遠鏡。他們發現了一種稱為赤藻糖醇的糖。這是他們首次在太空中發現真正的糖。

This sugar forms on small pieces of space dust. Light and energy from space help the sugar grow on ice. Then, the sugar moves into the empty space.

這種糖是在太空塵埃的小碎片上形成的。來自太空的光和能量幫助這種糖在冰上生長。接著，糖分會移動到真空空間中。

These sugars may be everywhere in the universe. Long ago, rocks from space hit Earth. These rocks brought the sugar to our planet. This helped the first living things start to grow.

這些糖可能遍布整個宇宙。很久以前，太空岩石撞擊了地球。這些岩石將糖分帶到了我們的星球，幫助了最早的生物開始生長。

This shows that the building blocks for life can form in space without a planet.

這表明生命的基本組成部分可以在沒有行星的太空中形成。

Astronomers have found erythrulose, a type of four-carbon sugar, inside a molecular cloud located near the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

天文學家在一個位於銀河系中心附近的分子雲中，發現了一種名為「赤藻糖醇」(erythrulose) 的四碳糖。

The researchers identified erythrulose by analyzing data from two radio telescopes in Spain, which focused on a specific cloud of gas and dust. This is the first time a 'true sugar'—which must have at least three carbon atoms—has been detected in interstellar space. While simpler molecules like glycoaldehyde had been found before, they were not complex enough to be called sugars, although they likely help create more complicated molecules.

研究人員透過分析西班牙兩座無線電望遠鏡的數據，鎖定了一團特定的氣體與塵埃雲，從而識別出赤藻糖醇。這是首次在星際空間中偵測到「真糖」——即必須含有至少三個碳原子的糖。雖然之前發現過如乙醇醛 (glycoaldehyde) 等較簡單的分子，但它們不夠複雜，不能被稱為糖，儘管它們可能有助於創造更複雜的分子。

Regarding how these sugars form, the scientists emphasize that erythrulose is created through chemical reactions on the surface of interstellar dust grains. In this process, smaller chemicals react on icy layers due to ultraviolet radiation or cosmic rays. This method allows molecules to form even though the vacuum of space makes collisions rare. Eventually, heat causes these molecules to evaporate and enter the surrounding space.

關於這些糖如何形成，科學家強調赤藻糖醇是透過星際塵埃顆粒表面的化學反應而產生。在此過程中，較小的化學物質會因紫外線或宇宙射線而在冰層上產生反應。儘管太空的真空環境使得碰撞十分罕見，但這種方法仍能讓分子形成。最終，熱量會導致這些分子蒸發並進入周圍空間。

Furthermore, experts suggest that the presence of these compounds shows that the building blocks of life are distributed throughout the universe. They believe these molecules may have reached early Earth through impacts from comets and asteroids. Consequently, this influx of organic material may have helped create RNA and other essential components, providing the chemical basis for the evolution of life.

此外，專家指出這些化合物的存在顯示生命的基本構建單元分佈於整個宇宙中。他們認為這些分子可能透過彗星和小行星的撞擊到達早期地球。因此，這些有機物質的湧入可能協助創造了 RNA 及其他核心成分，為生命的演化奠定了化學基礎。

The discovery of erythrulose suggests that the complex organic molecules necessary for life can form in space, independently of any planetary system.

赤藻糖醇的發現表明，生命所需的複雜有機分子可以在太空中形成，而不需要依賴任何行星系統。

Astronomers have identified the presence of erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, within a molecular cloud located near the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

天文學家在一個位於銀河系中心附近的分子雲中，確認了赤藻糖原（一種四碳糖）的存在。

The identification of erythrulose (C4H8O4) was achieved through the analysis of spectroscopic data obtained via two radio telescopes in Spain, specifically targeting the gas and dust cloud G+0.693-0.027. This discovery represents the first instance of a 'true sugar'—defined by a minimum requirement of three carbon atoms and specific functional groups—being detected within the interstellar medium (ISM). Previous detections, such as glycoaldehyde, lacked the necessary structural complexity to be classified as sugars, although they are hypothesized to serve as precursors in the synthesis of more complex molecules.

研究人員透過分析兩座西班牙無線電望遠鏡獲取的光譜數據，在 G+0.693-0.027 氣體與塵埃雲中確認了赤藻糖原 (C4H8O4) 的存在。這次發現是首次在星際介質 (ISM) 中偵測到「真正的糖」——其定義為至少包含三個碳原子及特定的官能基。先前偵測到的物質（如乙醇醛）因缺乏足夠的結構複雜度而無法被歸類為糖，儘管它們被假設為合成更複雜分子的前驅物。

Regarding the mechanism of synthesis, the researchers propose that erythrulose is formed via abiotic chemical reactions on the surfaces of interstellar dust grains. In this model, smaller reactants, such as glycoaldehyde and ethylene glycol, undergo synthesis on icy mantles driven by cosmic rays or ultraviolet radiation. This process bypasses the low collision rates typical of the interstellar vacuum. Subsequent thermal evaporation releases these molecules into the ISM.

關於合成機制，研究人員提出赤藻糖原是透過星際塵埃顆粒表面的非生物化學反應而形成。在此模型中，較小的反應物（如乙醇醛與乙二醇）在由宇宙射線或紫外線輻射驅動的冰層上進行合成。此過程繞過了星際真空中典型的低碰撞率。隨後的熱蒸發將這些分子釋放至星際介質中。

Stakeholders in the scientific community suggest that the presence of such compounds in the ISM implies a universal distribution of prebiotic building blocks. It is hypothesized that these molecules may have been delivered to early Earth via cometary and asteroidal impacts, particularly during the Late Heavy Bombardment. Such an influx of organic material is posited to have facilitated the emergence of ribonucleotides and RNA, providing a chemical foundation for subsequent biological evolution.

科學界的相關人士認為，星際介質中存在此類化合物，意味著前生物構建基塊在宇宙中具有普遍分佈。據假設，這些分子可能在早期地球時期，透過彗星與小行星的撞擊（特別是在後期重擊期）傳送到地球。這種有機物質的湧入被認為促進了核糖核苷酸與 RNA 的出現，為隨後的生物演化提供了化學基礎。

The confirmation of erythrulose in the interstellar medium suggests that complex organic molecules essential for life can form independently of planetary systems.

在星際介質中確認赤藻糖原的存在，表明對生命至關重要的複雜有機分子可以在獨立於行星系統的情況下形成。