The earliest complex organic molecules in the universe have been spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope, according to a new study published in Nature on June 5.

These substances, resembling those found in smoke and soot on Earth, were found within a primordial galaxy that formed when the universe was approximately 10 percent of its present age.

Referred to as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, these carbon-based molecules are commonly found in oil, coal, and smog.

Justin Spilker, an astronomer at Texas A&M University, emphasized that these molecules are not simple compounds like water or carbon dioxide, but rather large and intricate structures consisting of dozens or hundreds of atoms, in an interview with space.com.

Although complex organic molecules are frequently found in space, particularly associated with tiny dust particles, their detection in ancient galaxies has proven challenging due to limitations in telescope sensitivity and the range of light wavelengths observed.

However, with the advent of NASA's powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Spilker and his team successfully identified these molecules in a distant galaxy known as SPT0418-47, situated over 12 billion light-years away from Earth.

The light captured from SPT0418-47 began its journey less than 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, given the immense distance involved. This discovery sets a new record, pushing back the previous findings by approximately one billion years.

Spilker said that the previous record-holder for the oldest complex organic molecules was detected using more than 24 hours of observations with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. In contrast, the JWST required only a single hour of observation to accomplish the same feat.