Weekly Space Hangout - Dimethyl Ether Detected in a Planetary Disk?

<p class="p1"><a href= "https://youtu.be/8xFQGQsGurs">https://youtu.be/8xFQGQsGurs</a></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"><strong>Host:</strong> Fraser Cain ( <a href="https://twitter.com/fcain">@fcain</a> )</span><span class= "s2"><br /></span><span class="s1"><strong>Special Guest:</strong></span> <span class="s3">On March 8, the ESO announced in their Press Release (</span> <span class="s4"><a href= "https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2205/?lang"><span class= "s5">https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2205/?lang</span></a></span> <span class="s3">) that a team of researchers from Leiden University, The Netherlands, had detected the largest molecule to date within a planetary disc. At 9-atoms, dimethyl ether is considered a precursor of larger organic molecules that can lead to the emergence of life. Tonight we are pleased to air Fraser's prerecorded interview with two members of the team that detected the molecule, Nashanty Brunken and Dr. Alice Booth, who will tell us more about this amazing detection.</span></p> <p class="p3"> </p> <p class="p4"><span class="s6"><strong>Nashanty Brunken</strong> is an Astronomy Masters student at Leiden University with experience in Astrochemistry research. She is a writer at Leiden Science Magazine and De Universum. Previously, Nashanty was an astronomy Student Ambassador with experience in Public Relations and Communications.</span></p> <p class="p3"> </p> <p class="p4"><span class="s6"><strong>Dr. Alice Booth</strong> is an Astrochemistry PostDoc at Leiden Observatory. She earned her PhD from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds, and her BS in Physics from the University of Aberdeen, her hometown, in 2016. She is interested in the formation, composition and detection of exoplanets, and her current research centers around the structure and composition of protoplanetary disks. In addition to her research, Alice is passionate about science communication, has been involved with the organization Pint of Science for a number of years, and coordinated Leed