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Will Vance remark about US bailing on Ukraine encourage Putin to sink nascent peace talks?

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Vice President JD Vance’s suggestion this week that the U.S. could walk away from supporting Ukraine if peace talks with Russia stagnate could serve as catnip for the Kremlin, according to experts who say Russian President Vladimir Putin might choose to smother progress in hopes of getting America to wash «its hands of the war.»

While President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. may disengage from the negotiations as a last resort if they prove futile, Vance has taken the rhetoric a step further by saying the U.S. is definitely open to doing so. 

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«We’re more than open to walking away,» Vance told reporters on board Air Force Two on Monday, just moments before a high-stakes phone call between Trump and Putin. «The United States is not going to spin its wheels here. We want to see outcomes.»

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that no one wins if the U.S. steps aside from the talks, except for Russia. 

«It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace because the only one who benefits from that is Putin,» Zelenskyy wrote in a Monday post on X.

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Vance’s remark about abandoning mediation between the two countries would only embolden Russia, even though a lack of U.S. involvement still wouldn’t give Putin everything he wants, according to John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Russia program, a nonprofit research institute based in Washington.

For the moment, Moscow still benefits from U.S. involvement in the talks because the Kremlin wants the U.S. to help advance a deal that benefits Russia and alleviates sanctions, Hardie said.

«But, for the Kremlin, the United States washing its hands of the war would be the next best outcome if it means an end or reduction to U.S. support for Ukraine, especially since President Trump may well move to normalize relations with Russia anyhow,» Hardie told Fox News Digital. «So the administration’s threat to walk away risks perversely incentivizing Kremlin intransigence. A better approach would be to ramp up the economic and military pressure on Russia if Putin continues to reject compromise.»

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Russia still desires normalization with the U.S., which can only happen if the war ends swiftly and relatively amicably, said Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank. 

«That reset in relations is a giant carrot the administration is dangling in front of the Kremlin,» Rough told Fox News Digital. «If the U.S. walks away because Russia will not make peace, however, then that carrot disappears as well.»

Rough noted that other administration officials besides Vance, including Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have mentioned the possibility of walking away from a deal, so Vance’s comments don’t necessarily reflect a huge change in policy. And it’s unclear right now what exactly stepping aside would mean.

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«The purpose of those comments has been to impress on the Kremlin that U.S. patience is not limitless,» Rough said. 

Vance hasn’t shied away from issuing bold foreign policy statements since becoming vice president. From sparring with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in February to appearing to counter Trump when Vance remarked in May that the war in Ukraine was far from over after Trump indicated a deal might emerge soon, Vance has been outspoken in a way most vice presidents haven’t been.

When asked for comment or if there were any concerns about Vance’s Monday statement, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Vance’s office. Vance’s office declined to provide comment when asked if his remarks would encourage Russia to sit the negotiations out and continue its attacks.

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‘Fundamental mistrust’

Vance has adopted an outspoken approach as vice president, starting off with his fiery February statements at the Munich Security Council in which he asserted that Europe needed to «step up in a big way to provide for its own defense.» 

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That boldness has carried over into the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, where Vance has taken a proactive approach, at times appearing to be forging his own path.  

Vance and Rubio engaged in discussions to end the conflict in Ukraine with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Rome on Sunday, among other issues. Vance and Rubio also discussed the Trump administration’s efforts to end the war with Vatican prelate Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher on Monday. 

Aboard Air Force Two on Monday, Vance said the negotiations had reached «a bit of [an] impasse» between the two countries and that the conflict is not the Trump administration’s war to wage but rather belongs to former President Joe Biden and Putin. 

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«There is fundamental mistrust between Russia and the West. It’s one of the things the president thinks is, frankly, stupid, that we should be able to move beyond,» Vance told reporters. «The mistakes that have been made in the past, but … that takes two to tango.»

«I know the president’s willing to do that, but if Russia’s not willing to do that, then we’re eventually just going to have to say … this is not our war,» Vance said. «It’s Joe Biden’s war, it’s Vladimir Putin’s war. It’s not our war. We’re going to try to end it, but if we can’t end it, we’re eventually going to say, ‘You know what? That was worth a try, but we’re not doing it anymore.’»

TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL

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Vance’s Monday statement came just before Trump was scheduled to speak with Putin, seemingly undercutting the high-leverage telephone call and also underscoring Vance’s influence over foreign policy matters in the White House. 

Specifically on Ukraine negotiations, Vance has remained outspoken, engaging in confrontation when Zelenskyy visited the White House in February. 

In that exchange, Vance accused Zelenskyy of being «disrespectful» after Zelenskyy pointed out that Putin has a track record of breaking agreements and countered Vance’s statements that the path forward was through diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. 

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«Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?» Vance asked at the Oval Office meeting. 

Almost immediately after the U.S. signed a minerals deal with Ukraine on May 1, Vance said the war in Ukraine wouldn’t end in the near future, despite the fact that Trump indicated the previous week that an agreement was on the horizon. 

«It’s not going anywhere,» Vance told Fox News on May 1. «It’s not going to end anytime soon.» 

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Still, he characterized the agreement as «good progress» in the negotiations. 

Trump’s talk with Putin

Trump and Putin spoke over the phone Monday to advance peace negotiations to halt the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, just days after Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey to conduct their first peace talks since 2022. 

After the call, Trump said both countries would move toward a ceasefire and advance talks to end the war. 

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Meanwhile, Trump has suggested continued U.S. involvement may not be a viable option moving forward, but he has been reticent about specifics on what would actually prompt him to walk away from the talks. For example, Trump said on May 8 in an interview with NBC News that he believes peace is possible but that the U.S. wouldn’t act as a mediator forever.

«Well, there will be a time when I will say, ‘OK, keep going, keep being stupid,» Trump said in the interview. 

«Maybe it’s not possible to do,» he said. «There’s tremendous hatred.»

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Still, Trump signaled that the U.S. would take a backseat in the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv after his call with Putin. 

«The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know the details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,» Trump said in a Monday post on Truth Social. 

Trump has continued to distance the U.S. from the conflict, and he later described the conflict as a «European situation.» 

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«Big egos involved, but I think something’s going to happen,» Trump told reporters on Monday. «And if it doesn’t, I’ll just back away and they’ll have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation.»

Trump also doubled down on extracting the U.S. from the war, claiming it didn’t involve U.S. personnel. 

«It’s not our people, it’s not our soldiers … it’s Ukraine and it’s Russia,» Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday while hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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TRUMP SAYS HE COULD ‘WALK AWAY’ FROM RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS, CITES ‘TREMENDOUS HATRED’ ON BOTH SIDES

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, sanctions against Russia could ramp up in the event Russia fails to cooperate. 

«President Trump has made it very clear that if President Putin does not negotiate in good faith that the United States will not hesitate to up the Russia sanctions along with our European partners,» Bessent said Sunday in an interview with NBC. 

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Vance has previously said the concessions that Russia is seeking from Ukraine to end the conflict are too stringent but believes there is a viable path to peace and wants both to find common ground. 

«The step that we would like to make right now is we would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another,» Vance said at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington on May 7.

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Russia’s demands include Ukraine never joining NATO and preventing foreign peacekeeper troops from deploying to Ukraine after the conflict. Russia is also seeking to adjust some of the borders that previously were Ukraine’s.

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Un posteo de Donald Trump pone en aprietos a la primera ministra de Italia Giorgia Meloni y desata la furia opositora

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Un video reposteado en la red social del presidente Donald Trump puso en aprietos a su aliada, la primera ministra de Italia Giorgia Meloni, y provocó una tormenta política con la oposición que le reclamó inmediatas aclaraciones.

El tema era muy delicado. En el video difundido por el jefe de la Casa Blanca, una activista del movimiento MAGA (Make America Great Again) afirmaba que Roma rompería con la Unión Europea y negociaba un acuerdo bilateral sobre aranceles con Washington.

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El video en cuestión fue difundido por Lynne Patton, la activista del grupo de Trump, y reposteado por el presidente bien entrada la madrugada. Según esa filmación, Meloni había decidido romper con el bloque europeo y sugería, además, que la jefa de gobierno de Roma le habría comunicado a Trump en una conversación privada su intención de suspender la ayuda italiana a Ucrania.

“Giorgia Meloni desafía la UE y trata de obtener un acuerdo comercial directo con Trump. Bien hecho Meloni. Es una movida brillante”, dice el subtítulo del video relanzado por Trump, que agitó la interna italiana y provocó que la oposición saliera a reclamar inmediatas aclaraciones.

Ante el vendaval, el Palacio Chigi -la sede del gobierno de Italia- dijo que “como es sabido, las tratativas comerciales están en manos de la Comisión Europea, al ser de competencia exclusiva de la Unión Europea”. La cita, difundida por la prensa italiana, también precisa que “hace tiempo que se están llevando a cabo conversaciones bilaterales, en conjunción con la actuación de la comisión, sobre los derechos antidumping propuestos por el Departamento de Comercio contra algunos productores de pasta italianos”, explicaron las mismas fuentes.

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La misma línea fue planteada por el vicepremier y canciller, Antonio Tajani, quien aseguró que “siempre hemos trabajado con la Unión Europea y, gracias a Italia, se han logrado avances”, y que “trabajamos en perfecta sintonía con el comisario Sefcovic (Maros, Comisario de Comercio y Seguridad Económica)”. Pero “claramente también mantenemos comunicación con los estadounidenses”, admitió.

Pero tanto el Partido Democrático (PD) como el Movimiento Cinco Estrellas apuntaron al gobierno por su “liviandad” al tratar un tema delicado, que pone en juego el prestigio italiano entre los otros 26 socios del bloque comunitario.

“¿Es cierto que Italia se prepara para negociar directamente con Estados Unidos sobre los aranceles a la pasta, y es cierto que Italia está interesada en reducir su apoyo a Ucrania? Las palabras del presidente Trump dejan poco margen de interpretación. Por lo tanto, Meloni no puede ignorarlas. Debe aclarar de qué lado está Italia y si está destinada a ser la avanzada de Trump para romper el frente europeo y debilitar definitivamente a la Unión Europea, que no es solo una asociación económica, sino también, y sobre todo, un pacto político entre estados que comparten valores, derechos y libertades”, protestó Chiara Braga, líder del grupo de Demócratico en la Cámara de Diputados.

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Luana Zanella, jefa del grupo Alianza Verdes e Izquierda en la Cámara de Diputados, reclamó lo mismo en otra fuerte declaración. “Esperamos que la presidenta Meloni aclare la breve publicación de Trump, que parece sugerir que está dejando que le dicte la agenda en temas delicados como su intención de desafiar a la UE negociando aranceles directamente con Estados Unidos y reduciendo el apoyo a Ucrania. Pedimos transparencia, presidenta”.

Piero De Luca, también diputado del PD, el principal de la oposición de centroizquierda- y líder del grupo en la Comisión de Políticas Europeas, reclamó a su vez al gobierno que fije una posición.

“La publicación republicada por Donald Trump, en la que anuncia que Meloni rompe con la UE por los aranceles y retira su apoyo a Ucrania, es increíblemente grave”, dijo el legislador. “Estas afirmaciones deben ser desmentidas de inmediato. Son declaraciones sensacionalistas que, de confirmarse, generarían enormes dudas sobre las acciones de nuestro gobierno y las políticas económicas que Italia está adoptando. Es urgente y necesario que la primera ministra aclare de inmediato, desmintiendo las afirmaciones del presidente estadounidense”.

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Fuente: AFP, ANSA y Clarín

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‘It’s a joke’: White House dismisses ‘No Kings’ protests, while Nancy Pelosi rips crown in defiance

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While President Donald Trump and his administration brushed off the «No Kings» nationwide protests rebuking the president over the weekend, Democrats lauded the protesters for standing up for democracy. 

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The protest marked at least the second time «No Kings» rallies have been organized across the country in major cities, including Washington, New York City and Los Angeles, since Trump took office for the second time, and organizers claim the protests are in opposition to his authoritarian policies. 

Meanwhile, Trump pushed back on the description of «king,» as he and other Republicans poked fun at the millions participating in the rallies. 

PROTESTERS NATIONWIDE HOLD ‘NO KINGS’ RALLIES AMID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

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Protesters gather in Washington for the «No Kings» Day protest, Oct. 18, 2025.  (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

«I’m not a king,» Trump told reporters Sunday on Air Force One. «I work my ass off to make our country great. That’s all it is. I’m not a king at all.»

Trump also characterized the protests as inconsequential, and said that those who participated didn’t accurately reflect the people who make up the U.S. 

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«The demonstrations were very small, very ineffective and the people were whacked out,» Trump said Sunday. «When you look at those people, those are not representative of the people of our country.»

Despite Trump’s rejection of being labeled a king, the official White House social media accounts previously posted an image in February of Trump wearing a crown with a caption claiming «long live the king.» Trump also reposted an AI-generated video that Vice President JD Vance originally shared, depicting Trump placing a crown on his head and drawing a sword. 

Additionally, Trump shared another AI-generated video of him donning a crown in a fighter jet over New York City, unloading what appeared to be feces on the protesters. 

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WATCH: ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTERS AT MASSIVE NYC RALLY REVEAL MOTIVATION FOR TAKING TO THE STREETS: ‘DISGUSTING’

no kings protester

Democrats lauded the protesters for standing up for democracy.  (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., said that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. needed a distraction from the government shutdown that started Oct. 1, although Johnson did admit that the protests turned out to be a «violent-free, free speech exercise.» 

«They needed a stunt,» Johnson said in an interview with ABC Sunday. «They needed a show. Chuck Schumer has — needs cover right now. He’s closed the government down because he needs political cover, and this was a part of it.»

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However, Democrats said the protests were an opportunity to stand up for democracy. For example, Schumer said that there are «no dictators» in the U.S., and that «we won’t allow Trump to keep eroding our democracy.» 

«Dictators evolve when good people of all different beliefs and backgrounds stay silent,» Schumer said in a social media post on Saturday. «This No Kings Day says we will not stay silent.»

Additionally, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi shared a video clip of her dismantling a plastic crown, appearing to harken back to when she ripped Trump’s State of the Union address in 2020. 

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«We’re gonna tear up the crown!» Pelosi said in the brief clip, which she shared on social media with the caption: «No crown. #NoKings!» 

NATIONWIDE UNREST LOOMS AS ‘NO KINGS’ DEMONSTRATORS BEGIN TO GATHER IN MAJOR US CITIES

no kings sign

President Donald Trump and his administration have brushed off the «No Kings» nationwide protests.  (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., also weighed in, claiming «we said ‘hell no’ to kings, and reminded the nation and the world what patriotism looks like.» 

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«From our nation’s capitol to cities across California, millions stood shoulder to shoulder to say that our democracy is worth fighting for, that our voices will not be silent, and that we will not sit back and let a wannabe king take our freedoms,» Schiff said Saturday to accompany several photos of himself at the protest in Washington. «Proud to stand with you.» 

Additionally, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the protests were reflective of the democratic process in the U.S. 

«This is what democracy looks like!» Murray said in a Saturday social media post. «We use our voices and our votes. NO KINGS IN AMERICA!»

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Hallazgo inédito: identifican una galaxia vecina con moléculas claves en los procesos químicos de la vida

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Científicos detectan moléculas esenciales para la vida en el hielo de una estrella en formación fuera de la Vía Láctea (N. Madhusudhan/University of Cambridge/Handout via REUTERS)

Por primera vez, la presencia de moléculas orgánicas complejas en el hielo interestelar de otra galaxia ha sido comprobada de manera directa. El análisis, basado en observaciones del telescopio espacial James Webb en la Gran Nube de Magallanes, ofrece evidencia clara de que los procesos químicos necesarios para la vida no son exclusivos de nuestra galaxia y pueden desarrollarse en entornos mucho más diversos de lo que se pensaba.

La detección de moléculas orgánicas complejas en el hielo de una protoestrella fuera de la Vía Láctea marca un avance relevante para la astrobiología. Un equipo internacional liderado por Marta Sewilo, astrónoma de la University of Maryland y la NASA, publicó los resultados el 20 de octubre de 2025 en The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Esta investigación utilizó el James Webb Space Telescope para descubrir, por primera vez, compuestos básicos para la vida en la Gran Nube de Magallanes, la galaxia más cercana a la nuestra. El descubrimiento se concentró en la protoestrella joven ST6, donde los científicos detectaron cinco moléculas orgánicas complejas: metanol, etanol, formiato de metilo, acetaldehído y ácido acético.

El hallazgo en la Gran
El hallazgo en la Gran Nube de Magallanes demuestra que la química fundamental para la vida puede surgir en otras galaxias (Europa Press)

Aunque algunos de estos compuestos se emplean en la Tierra para fines industriales y alimenticios, jamás habían sido identificados en hielos fuera de la Vía Láctea. Además, el equipo encontró señales espectrales de glicolaldehído, una molécula precursora de estructuras como el ARN, aunque se requieren estudios adicionales para su confirmación definitiva.

La Gran Nube de Magallanes está ubicada a unos 160.000 años luz de la Tierra y presenta características únicas. Su baja metalicidad —una cantidad de elementos pesados menor que la de la Vía Láctea— la convierte en un entorno similar al universo primitivo.

Esta condición, combinada con niveles elevados de radiación ultravioleta, transforma a la galaxia en un verdadero laboratorio natural para analizar cómo surgen las moléculas complejas en ambientes extremos. La astrónoma Sewilo explicó que explorar este tipo de entorno permite entender mejor la química de galaxias más distantes y jóvenes.

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“El entorno de baja metalicidad, con menos elementos más pesados que el hidrógeno y el helio, se asemeja a galaxias de épocas cosmológicas más tempranas. Lo que aprendemos en la Gran Nube de Magallanes puede aplicarse a la comprensión de galaxias más distantes, cuando el universo era mucho más joven”, señaló Sewilo.

El telescopio James Webb permitió
El telescopio James Webb permitió identificar compuestos orgánicos complejos en una protoestrella joven a 160.000 años luz de la Tierra (Archivo)

Los avances logrados fueron posibles gracias al instrumento de infrarrojo medio (MIRI) a bordo del James Webb Space Telescope. Su sensibilidad y resolución angular permitieron identificar débiles señales espectrales asociadas a hielos alrededor de una protoestrella tan distante, algo inalcanzable con tecnologías previas.

Sewilo destacó la importancia del JWST: “Es gracias a la excepcional sensibilidad y alta resolución angular del JWST que podemos detectar estas débiles características espectrales asociadas a hielos alrededor de una protoestrella tan distante. La resolución espectral del JWST es lo suficientemente alta como para permitir identificaciones fiables”.

Hasta ahora, solo el metanol había sido detectado de forma concluyente en hielos alrededor de protoestrellas, y únicamente en nuestra propia galaxia. El nuevo hallazgo proporciona una cantidad de información sin precedentes sobre la composición química de hielos interestelares en otras galaxias, revelando un universo más rico y diverso de lo que se pensaba.

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La presencia de moléculas orgánicas complejas en hielo interestelar en condiciones similares a las del universo temprano sugiere que los bloques fundamentales para la vida podrían haberse formado mucho antes y en ambientes más variados de los que se consideraba posible. Esto significa que la química necesaria para crear biomoléculas puede ser un proceso común en distintos rincones y épocas del universo.

El JWST permitió descubrir compuestos
El JWST permitió descubrir compuestos esenciales en una región con baja metalicidad. Los especialistas creen que la vida puede surgir en zonas y épocas más variadas del universo de lo que imaginábamos. (Agencia Espacial Europea/Hubble/NASA/AFP)

Aunque el estudio no demuestra la existencia de vida más allá de la Tierra, sí sugiere que estas moléculas podrían persistir durante la evolución de los sistemas planetarios y llegar a incorporarse a planetas jóvenes. Así, la vida podría tener la oportunidad de surgir en lugares mucho más diversos de lo que se creía hasta ahora.

El equipo liderado por Sewilo se propone ampliar la investigación a otras protoestrellas, tanto en la Gran Nube de Magallanes como en la Pequeña Nube de Magallanes, para comparar la abundancia de estas moléculas con la existente en la Vía Láctea.

Hasta el momento, solo hay una fuente conocida en la Gran Nube de Magallanes y cuatro en la Vía Láctea que presentan detección de estas moléculas en hielos interestelares. El objetivo es conseguir muestras más amplias para confirmar las posibles diferencias entre galaxias y comprender mejor el origen y la distribución de la química compleja en el universo.

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Este avance marca un paso clave para desentrañar cómo los ingredientes fundamentales para la vida pueden surgir en una gran variedad de contextos cósmicos.



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