Sugar Found In Space
Scientists detected sugar molecules in a Milky Way dust cloud for the first time.
July 13, 2026 · Updated Jul 13, 12:23pm ET
IFL ScienceFirst Ever Detection Of Sugar In Interstellar Space And It Probably Tastes Of Raspberries
CBS NewsAstronomers discover sugar in space that's also found in raspberries: "Just floating out in the galaxy"
The GuardianSpace jam: astronomers detect ‘raspberry sugar’ on dust cloud in Milky Way
ABC NewsIn a sweet discovery, astronomers find sugar lurking in the space between stars
Scientific AmericanSomething surprisingly sweet lurks near the Milky Way’s heart
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What happened
Astronomers have detected erythrulose, a sugar found in raspberries and used in self-tanning products, in a giant molecular cloud near the Milky Way’s center about 26,745 light-years from Earth. The molecule was identified in the interstellar medium, the thin gas-and-dust material between stars, and reported in Nature Astronomy
Nature Astronomyacademic journal. The finding marks the first reported detection of this sugar in interstellar space. Its presence adds evidence that life-relevant organic compounds, including sugars, can form in space and may have been delivered to the early Earth.
