The chemical makeup of the disks surrounding young stars provides a record of the raw materials available for planet formation. By studying the presence of water, methanol, and methyl formate in the disks of HD 100546 and IRS 48, researchers are tracing how these vital molecules change as a star system matures. These molecules are essential components of interstellar ice, and their relative amounts in the gas phase indicate how ice reservoirs are processed during the period when planets are born...