Carbon in the Universe

Over the past few decades, NASA missions have revealed
that we live in a Universe that is not a hydrogen-dominated,
physicist's paradise, but in a molecular Universe with
complex molecules directly interwoven into its fabric. These
missions have shown that molecules are an abundant and
important component of astronomical objects at all stages of
their evolution and that they play a key role in many
processes that dominate the structure and evolution of
galaxies. Closer to home in our galaxy, the Milky Way, they
have revealed a unique and complex organic inventory of
regions of star and planet formation that may well represent
some of the prebiotic roots to life. Astrobiology emerges
from the great interest in understanding astrochemical
evolution from simple to complex molecules, especially those
with biogenic potential and the roles they may play as
primordial seeds in the origin of life on habitable worlds. The
first part of this talk will highlight how infrared spectroscopic
studies of interstellar space, combined with dedicated
laboratory simulations, have revealed the widespread
presence of complex organics across deep space. The
remainder of the presentation will focus on the evolution of
these materials and astrobiology.