In a sweet discovery, astronomers find sugar lurking in the space between stars

NEW YORK — The space between stars just got a little sweeter.

NEW YORK — The space between stars just got a little sweeter.

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Astronomers have detected a type of sugar in space that’s also found in raspberries and self-tanners. The sugar, called erythrulose, lurks in what’s called the interstellar medium: thin clouds of gas and dust littered between stars.

Sugar does more than sweeten tea and powder doughnuts. Different varieties fuel our cells and even make up DNA. Scientists are itching to know how sugars form because they’re a key ingredient for life as we know it.