UH discovery reveals rapid pathways to complex aromatic molecules in space

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa chemistry team led by graduate student Shane Goettl has identified a rapid chemical pathway for forming polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in space, potentially explaining how these carbon-hydrogen molecules proliferate throughout the universe. The findings, published in Nature Communications in August 2026, address a long-standing question about the swift formation of complex organic compounds in cosmic environments.