The Taurus molecular cloud is a relatively close star-forming region at 450 light-years away. It has been the site of many astromolecule discoveries. Credit: European Southern Observatory Astronomers can use telescopes to find specific molecules in the atmospheres of neighboring planets,  in nebulae  – clouds of interstellar dust and gas – hundreds or thousands of light-years away, or in galaxies beyond the far reaches of the Milky Way. So far, astronomers have found  more than 350 molecules  in the spaces between and around stars in just under a hundred years –  the first such molecule was reported in 1937 . Each year, the cosmic chemical stockroom grows by anywhere from a handful to a couple of dozen new finds. Many of these molecules are precursors  to biomolecules , meaning they  might provide hints about life’s origins  elsewhere in the cosmos.…