Maps of planetary nurseries will help in the complex hunt for alien life

By Leah Crane

Planetary nurseries have been mapped in the most detail yet, and they contain far more organic molecules than expected – the basic chemical building blocks for life. Studying such maps can help us understand whether we are alone in the universe.

Planets are expected to form in a disk of dust and gas called a protoplanetary disk, which surrounds young stars. We’ve seen these discs in the past, and even seen signs of The formation of planets