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Astronomers have found an unusual carbon-based molecule 27,000 light-years from Earth that could hint at the origins of life.

The observations indicate molecules of isopropyl cyanide, a common feature in life-essential molecules like amino acids, are produced early in a star's formation.

If true it would suggest some of the building blocks of life on Earth may have originated elsewhere in space before being carried here.

Researchers led by Cornell University in New York have found evidence for the origins of life in a star-forming region of interstellar space called Sagittarius B2 (shown). They found molecules of isopropyl cyanide near the centre of the Milky Way. This complex molecule is a common feature in other life-essential molecules

The discovery was made by astronomers from Cornell University, the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the University of Cologne in Germany.

They found hints of the molecule in the form of emitted radio waves in a giant gas cloud known as Sagittarius B2 in interstellar space using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (Alma) in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Sagittarius B2 is a star forming region about 390 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way. 

Organic molecules usually found in these star-forming regions consist of a single 'backbone' of carbon atoms arranged in a straight chain.

But the carbon structure of isopropyl cyanide is more complex, making it the first interstellar detection of such a complex organic molecule, says Dr Rob Garrod, Cornell senior research associate at the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research.

This detection opens a new frontier in the complexity of molecules that can be formed in interstellar space and that might ultimately find their way to the surfaces of planets.

It lends weight to the idea that biologically crucial molecules like amino acids that are commonly found in meteorites are produced early in the process of star formation - even before planets such as Earth are formed.

The scientists sought to examine the chemical makeup of Sagittarius B2, a region close to the Milky Way's galactic center and an area rich in complex interstellar organic molecules.

With Alma, the group conducted a full spectral survey - looking for fingerprints of new interstellar molecules - with sensitivity and resolution ten times greater than previous surveys.

And in so doing they stumbled across this complex molecule that may hint at the origins of life. 

The discovery was made by astronomers from Cornell University, the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the University of Cologne in Germany.They found hints of the molecule in the form of emitted radio waves in a giant gas cloud known as Sagittarius B2 in interstellar space using Alma (shown) in Chile's Atacama Desert

Its discovery suggests that some of the building blocks of life may form in such star-forming regions. This would mean the molecules are brought to Earth through some process, perhaps by meteorites, and formed even before our planet started to take shape

The purpose of the Alma Observatory is to search for cosmic origins through an array of 66 sensitive radio antennas from the high elevation and dry air of northern Chile's Atacama Desert. 

The array of radio telescopes works together to form a gigantic 'eye' peering into the cosmos.

'Understanding the production of organic material at the early stages of star formation is critical to piecing together the gradual progression from simple molecules to potentially life-bearing chemistry,' said Dr Belloche of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, the lead author of the latest research.

About 50 individual features for isopropyl cyanide were identified in the Alma spectrum of the Sagittarius B2 region. 

Isopropyl cyanide along with another molecule found called normal-propyl cyanide are also the largest molecules yet detected in any star-forming region.