By Ron Cowen
Using an infrared telescope to peer far back in time, astronomers have made the first observations of complex organic molecules from an era when the universe was just 4 billion years old, less than a third of its current age.
The molecules, known as polyaromatic hydrocarbons, play a key role in star and planet formation, and they are among the building blocks of life. These chemicals form whenever carbon-based materials don’t burn completely. They can be found, among other places, in the sooty exhaust from cars and airplanes and in charcoal-broiled hamburgers.