 In August 2012, and in a world first, astronomers at Copenhagen University reported the detection of a specific sugar molecule, glycolaldehyde, in a distant star system.The molecule was found around the protostellar binary "IRAS 16293-2422", which is located 400 light years from Earth.Glycolaldehyde is needed to form ribonucleic acid, or RNA, which is similar in function to DNA.