Anion in the Interstellar Garden

Science : The vast space between the stars of the Milky Way is not empty. It’s boiling with cosmic raw material, either expelled from exploding stars or whirling black holes, some of which is in the process of condensing back into new generations of stars and planets. Now, astronomers have for the first time detected a molecule with a negative electrical charge. The discovery of this long-missing ingredient for life--called an anion--could force some serious rethinking about interstellar chemistry.