Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:Observations of the protoplanetary disk around protostar V883 Orionis have revealed complex organic molecules that could be precursors to life. Though organics scattered throughout space are not necessarily signs of extraterrestrial life, some organic compounds could be. Nascent planets and other celestial objects are probably evolving in the shroud of dust and gas surrounding this young star as we speak, and alongside them are complex organic molecules (COMs). These are considered precursors to the stuff of life, including what could be the first detection of ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile in outer space. They are known to carry both simple and complex organic molecules, and might have brought some our way by crashing into Earth, back when objects were often colliding with each other in the early Solar System.