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  "path": "/science/3iatlas-scientists-stunned-mysterious-object-found-bursting-with-alcohol",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-14T03:47:23.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Astronomers spot rare 'cosmic birth' 10 BILLION times brighter than the sun for very first time",
    "Alien signals could be being blocked by stormy space weather, new research suggests",
    "Space breakthrough as scientists change course of asteroid in bid to stop future doomsday",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nScientists have been left stunned after discovering that a mysterious interstellar object contains unusually high concentrations of alcohol.\n\nResearchers studying the 3I/ATLAS comet found it is releasing the substance in quantities unlike anything previously observed near Earth.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe 3I/ATLAS object captured global attention late last year when it was identified as just the third known object from beyond our solar system ever seen passing through.\n\nThe enormous celestial body - estimated to have a solid core up to 3.5 miles wide - made its closest approach to Earth shortly before Christmas and will never return.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nResearchers have now discovered that 3I/ATLAS contains extraordinarily high levels of methanol.\n\nMethanol is a form of alcohol, though not the type found in drinks due to its extreme toxicity.\n\nThe substance is more commonly used in rocket fuel and antifreeze.\n\nThe discovery was made by scientists working at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observatory in Chile.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThey analysed gas plumes released from the comet as solar heat warmed its frozen surface during its approach.\n\nWhile detecting methanol and hydrogen cyanide in comets is fairly common, the sheer volume of alcohol streaming from 3I/ATLAS is highly unusual.\n\nThe organic molecule methanol appears in far greater quantities than in almost all comets native to our solar system.\n\nProfessor Nathan Roth from American University said: \"Observing 3I/ATLAS is like taking a fingerprint from another solar system.\n\n### SPACE - READ THE LATEST:\n\n\n\n\n  * Astronomers spot rare 'cosmic birth' 10 BILLION times brighter than the sun for very first time\n  * Alien signals could be being blocked by stormy space weather, new research suggests\n  * Space breakthrough as scientists change course of asteroid in bid to stop future doomsday\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"The details reveal what it's made of, and it's bursting with methanol in a way we just don't usually see in comets in our own solar system.\"\n\nScientists are still unsure what explains the phenomenon.\n\nOne theory suggests the comet formed in an extremely cold region of its original star system.\n\nAnother possibility is that exposure to intense cosmic radiation during its seven-billion-year journey altered its chemical composition.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nResearchers believe the findings could help pinpoint the comet's origins.\n\nThe object continues its journey through our solar system, with its closest approach to Jupiter expected on Monday.\n\nAlthough most astronomers believe 3I/ATLAS is a large comet, some have suggested the object could have extraterrestrial origins.\n\nHarvard astrophysicist Professor Avi Loeb has been among those advancing theories about a possible alien connection since the object was first detected in July 2025.\n\nHe previously said: \"As we get more data, when the sun puts more heat on this object, it might reveal its true nature.\n\n\"It could be a wake-up call for humanity if we realise that there is a smarter kid on our block.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Scientists stunned after mysterious interstellar object found to be ‘bursting with alcohol’"
}