[ad_1]
- Saturn’s strange moon Titan has carbon-based compounds in its atmosphere that may be a precursor to life.
- Titan’s surface is covered in lakes of hydrocarbons that are toxic to life as we know it, but there may be an ocean of liquid water deep below the surface.
- Future missions could scout that ocean for life.
Of all the planets and moons in our solar system, Saturn’s moon Titan is definitely one of the strangest. It is a vast world of ice covered with lakes of liquid. It is not water, of course, since Titan is too far from the Sun for water to exist in its liquid form. Instead, Titan is covered in cold hydrocarbons that are, as far as life on Earth is concerned, incredibly toxic.
Now, in new research published in the Astronomical diaryScientists have discovered something incredibly “strange” in Titan’s atmosphere. It is a carbon-based molecule that cannot exist in nature on Earth and has only been observed on our planet in laboratory settings. On Titan, however, it appears to exist naturally, and that could mean exciting things in your search for an otherworldly life.
We know what it takes for life to exist on Earth. Energy, in the form of sunlight or heat, and water are the great prerequisites. But life on other worlds that are completely different from ours? How are we to know? The discovery of the molecules of cyclopropenylidene, or C3H2, is exciting because it could form the basis of life forms on Titan that we have never seen. It could also be an early precursor to foods that could support life on the planet.
“Although scientists have found C3H2 in pockets throughout the galaxy, finding it in the atmosphere was a surprise,” says NASA. “That’s because cyclopropenylidene can easily react with other molecules that it comes into contact with and form different species. So far, astronomers have found C3H2 only in clouds of gas and dust that float between star systems, in other words regions too cold and diffuse to facilitate many chemical reactions. “
Well that’s very good. But what are the odds that the molecules floating in Titan’s atmosphere are actually linked to life in some way? Well, it is very difficult to say. Saturn has 62 moons and scientists have observed quite a few of them. Titan is the largest and has what could be considered the most interesting chemical composition, and certainly the most feature-rich surface, but life? That is another ball game.
What’s particularly promising about Titan is that it could be hiding a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface. If that ocean is filled with liquid water, it could actually be habitable, as crazy as it all sounds considering its hostile and toxic surface.
“We are trying to find out if Titan is habitable,” Rosaly Lopes of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement. “So we want to know what compounds in the atmosphere make it to the surface and then if that material can make its way through the ice crust to the ocean, because we think the ocean is where the habitable conditions are.”
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, wearable devices, smartphones, and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as a technology editor at The Daily Dot, and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and in many other print and web media. His love of reporting is second only to his addiction to games.
[ad_2]
