You may have heard the phrase “we are made of star-stuff.” This statement by the astronomer Carl Sagan refers to the fact that elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were forged in the centers of the first stars. But how does this star-stuff evolve into the chemistry of rocks, plants and people?

As an astrochemist and radio astronomer, I study the places in the universe where stars are born as interstellar laboratories. I’m interested in how simple ingredients come together to form bigger and bigger molecules, including those that are building blocks of life. One way I do this is by mapping molecules in space and finding patterns between how abundant they are and the conditions around them.

Astronomers have mapped the distribution of molecules in interstellar space for several decades. From these maps, astronomers typically describe molecules’ abundances, temperatures and how fast they’re moving in each region.

Technology and techniques have improved over time, and now scientists are able to map these metrics at even more precise scales. My research team and I recently compared the findings from these newer methods against previous maps to make sure the earlier maps are consistent with our new maps.

A lab you can’t visit

Stars form in molecular clouds: clumps of gas and dust that act as cosmic nurseries. These nurseries start out at extremely cold temperatures of about minus 442 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 263 degrees Celsius). The material in them is also really spread out, with densities of about 100 molecules per cubic centimeter. By comparison, the air you are breathing right now has about 1019 — or 10 quintillion — molecules per cubic centimeter.

As infant stars form, temperatures rise to between minus 279 F and minus 100 F (between minus 173 C and minus 73 C), and the density increases to 10 million molecules or more per cubic centimeter.

In those conditions, the most fundamental chemical reactions in the........

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