Interstellar space may seem like the last place you would look for the chemical origins of life. However, many complex molecules are synthesised on interstellar dust grains. The unique structures of dust grain surfaces are believed to act as catalytic sites – allowing chemical reactions to occur.

Listen to the whole podcast here: https://www.scipod.global/exploring-the-surface-chemistry-of-interstellar-dust-albert-rimola/

The article published in Acta Astronautica and co-authored by QuantumGrain member Eloy Peña-Asensio, has been widely published in local and national media, such as La Ser or La Vanguardia. Eloy has also been interviewed on the main Catalan television channel TV3.

A popular science article on our work «Interaction of organic compounds with chondritic silicate surfaces. Atomistic insights from quantum chemical periodic simulations» posted in Kudos.

Link to the post: https://www.growkudos.com/publications/10.1039%252Fc7cp03504g/reader

Link to the article: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/CP/C7CP03504G

Blog post in DIVULCAT, 10/12/2021.

https://www.enciclopedia.cat/divulcat/gels-de-pols-interestellar-banys-termals-per-a-les-reaccions-astroquimiques

A popular science article on our work «Using fireball networks to track more frequent reentries: Falcon 9 upperstage orbit determination from video recordings» posted in Popular Science and written by Charlie Wood.

Link to the post: https://www.popsci.com/space/meteor-networks-track-falling-space-debris/

Link to the article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs42064-021-0112-2

MeteorNews, May 8, 2021.

We present a short update about the Spanish Fireball and Meteorite Recovery Network after 25 years of continuous monitoring of the sky over Spain and bordering countries.

https://www.meteornews.net/2021/05/08/25-years-of-the-spanish-meteor-network-spmn-and-the-2020-ursid-meteor-activity/

Astronomía, Mayo 2021, nº 263

https://www.globalastronomia.com/caracterizando-asteroides-cometas-y-superficies-planetarias-en-base-al-estudio-de-sus-meteoritos/

Dissemination science talk (in english) to secondary school students of IES Santa Eugenia (Vallecas, Madrid, SP) explaining the importance of computational chemistry to investigate the chemistry present in space, in the framework of a STEM project called»Space and Chemistry».

Un equip liderat per investigadors del Departament de Química de la UAB i l’Institut de Ciències de l’Espai (ICE-CSIC) i l’Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) han aportat noves proves que una classe de meteorits coneguts com condrites carbonàcies contenen minerals capaços de retenir aigua (i també matèria orgànica), que podrien haver tingut un paper important en l’enriquiment d’aquests components en la Terra primitiva. Aquests meteorits podrien haver facilitat el transport d’aquests compostos que s’acumulaven en les regions externes de l’anomenat disc protoplanetari, a partir del qual es formaren els planetes del nostre sistema solar fa més de 4.500 milions d’anys.

UAB Divulga, 09/2020.

https://webedit.uab.cat/web/detall-de-noticia/noves-evidencies-que-meteorits-hidratats-haurien-aportat-grans-quantitats-d-aigua-a-la-terra-primitiva-1345469002000.html?noticiaid=1345825235145

Dissemination science talk (in catalan) on the Chemistry of the origin of life, thanks to the kind invitation of «Associació d’aules d’extensió uniervsitària Delfí Dalmau i Argemir» in the nice village of Caldes de Montbui (Catalonia).