Cyanides, and most especially
methyl cyanide, are important because they contain carbon - nitrogen bonds, which are essential for the formation of amino acids, the foundation of proteins.
ALMA has detected the complex organic molecule
methyl cyanide in the outer reaches of the disk in the region where comets are believed to form.
According to the researchers, there's enough
methyl cyanide around MWC 480 to fill all of Earth's oceans.