Understanding the formation of complex molecules in the Universe is the key to understanding the origin of life in the primitive Earth and other extraterrestrial worlds.

Astronomical observations have shown that Star-Forming regions and cometary bodies are plenty of prebiotic molecules such as glycolaldehyde and other essential alcohols, as for example methanol. The challenge of researchers in astrochemistry is comprehending how these molecules migrate from the early stages of prestellar cores and young stellar objects (YSOs) and, finally, are assimilated into planets and comets. The current understanding is that complex molecules such as CH3OH are formed ice mantles on dust grains in the interstellar medium via energetic and non-energetic mechanisms. The short video on the right-hand side illustrates how water ice mantles are formed via adsorption of O and H.