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White to Move and Mate in Two #371. Life in Orion? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-06-27

Interstellar organic (carbon-containing) chemistry took another step forward as the Webb Space Telescope detected a new carbon compound in space for the first time. Known as methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on) (CH3+), the molecule is important because it aids the formation of more complex carbon-based molecules. Methyl cation was detected in a young star system, with a protoplanetary disk, known as d203-506, which is located about 1,350 light-years away in the Orion Nebula, which is located just below Orion’s belt.

Carbon compounds form the foundations of all known life and finding such molecules being created in nascent star systems will help understand how life began on Earth and how it might be taking shape among the distant stars and galaxies.

x 🆕 An international team of scientists have used data collected by Webb to make the first detection of a crucial carbon molecule in a planet forming disc 🧬



Read more: 🔗 https://t.co/J8qz9fppvC or 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/jXnvqkBo3W — ESA Webb Telescope (@ESA_Webb) June 26, 2023

Closer to home, NASA recently announced the discovery of Phosphorus on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus. All 6 elements critical for life — carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur (CHNOPS) have been detected on Enceladus along with water and organic compounds such as methane, propane, acetylene, formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene and precursors to amino acids. Can life be far behind? Will they play Chess?

x Saturn's moon Enceladus is emitting icy particles containing phosphorus – an essential element for life.



The discovery was made using data collected by @NASA’s Cassini spacecraft and is the first time the element has been found in an ocean beyond Earth. https://t.co/8X1UlmvrjF pic.twitter.com/CRjwZOIehm — NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) June 14, 2023

Now, back to earth. Let’s put our our CHNOPS to work and find the solution to today’s intricate puzzle composed in 1929 by Alberto Mari.

FEN — 1Q1b4/r3p3/2p1P3/P1kNB1R1/r4p2/1B1p4/nPq2N1K/1bR5

Chess puzzle is published on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Click here to see previous puzzles.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/27/2177866/-White-to-Move-and-Mate-in-Two-371-Life-in-Orion

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