Laughing Gas in Space

(SFX: Laughing )

     LAUGHING GAS MAY BE ONE OF THE FEW RELATIVELY PLEASANT EXPERIENCES AT
THE DENTISTS OFFICE.  OFFICIALLY KNOWN AS NITROUS OXIDE IT MAKES YOU FEEL
LIGHT-HEADED AND HAPPY SO YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT DRILL GOING INTO YOUR
MOUTH.  BUT IT'S NOT JUST AT THE DENTIST'S ANYMORE, IT TURNS OUT LAUGHING GAS IS
UP IN THE SKY, TOO.  SCIENTISTS HAVE SPOTTED THE NITROUS OXIDE BECAUSE IT SENDS
OUT RADIO WAVES, SAYS PHYSICIST LEWIS SNYDER FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

     Snyder: "Radio waves from. . . molecules are like distincitve finger prints, and if we're very
clever in our analysis, we can . . . actually identify a molecule maybe 30 thousand light years away." 

     ASTROCHEMIST LUCY ZIURYS AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY WORKED WITH
SNYDER LOOKING FOR THESE RADIO WAVES. 

     Ziurys:"We essentially tune the telescope to one of those frequencies, like you tune your car
radio and . . . if we get a signal. . .we know that the compound exists where we are looking out in
space." 

     ZIURYS AND SNYDER, ALONG WITH JAN HOLLIS AT NASA, POINTED THEIR
TELESCOPES AT THE CONSTELLATION SAGITARIUS AND FOUND LAUGHING GAS IN A
GIGANTIC CLOUD 25,000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.  ASTRONOMER'S THINK CLOUDS LIKE THIS
ARE THE FIRST STEP IN THE LONG PROCESS OF FORMING PLANETS, SO FIGURING OUT
WHAT MOLECULES ARE THERE COULD GIVE HINTS ABOUT WHAT CHEMISTRY LEADS TO
THE CREATION OF PLANETS OR EVEN LIFE.

     Ziurys: "One wonders whether the chemistry that is occuring in these clouds doesn't eventually
take part in the chemistry that occurs when solar systems are formed and planets and evetually life of
some sort." 

     SO WHILE LAUGHTER MAY BE THE BEST MEDICINE, LAUGHING GAS MAY HAVE
HELPED CREATE YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE.