Prospect of Life On Saturn's Moons Rises After Discovery of Organic Substances (theguardian.com)
- Reference: 0179622806
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/10/02/0257214/prospect-of-life-on-saturns-moons-rises-after-discovery-of-organic-substances
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/oct/01/prospect-life-saturn-moons-rises-discovery-organic-substances
> The sixth largest of Saturn's moons, Enceladus has become one of the leading contenders in the search for bodies that could harbor extraterrestrial life, with the Cassini mission -- which ended in 2017 -- revealing the moon has a plume of water ice grains and vapors erupting from beneath the surface at its south pole. The phenomenon has since been captured by the James Webb space telescope, with the plume reaching nearly 6,000 miles into space. The source of this material is thought to be a saltwater ocean that lies beneath the moon's icy crust.
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> Now researchers studying data from the Cassini mission say they have discovered organic substances within the plume, with some types of molecule detected there for the first time. Dr Nozair Khawaja, a planetary scientist at Freie University Berlin and lead author of the work, said the results increased the known complexity of the chemistry that is happening below the surface of Enceladus. "When there is complexity happening, that means that the habitable potential of Enceladus is increasing right now," he said. [2]Writing in the journal Nature Astronomy , Khawaja and colleagues reported how their previous work had revealed the presence of organic substances and salts within ice grains found in a ring of Saturn, known as the "E-ring," that is composed of material ejected from Enceladus. [...]
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> While the new findings do not show that there is life on Enceladus, Khawaja said they indicate there are complex chemical pathways at play that could lead to the formation of substances that could be biologically relevant. The results, he added, support plans by the European Space Agency (ESA) to investigate the moon for signs of life. "I think all the signals are green here for Enceladus," Khawaja said.
The findings add momentum to [3]ESA's proposed mission to directly search for biological signs around 2042. According to the ESA, the mission will consist of an orbiter around Enceladus that will also fly through the plumes, as well as a lander that will touch down in the south pole region of the moon.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/oct/01/prospect-life-saturn-moons-rises-discovery-organic-substances
[2] https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02655-y
[3] https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Saturn_s_moon_Enceladus_top_target_for_ESA
Hoooobooy (Score:2)
tardigrades ...here we come!
Since nobody is going to mention what was found: (Score:5, Informative)
Past studies:
* Volatile, low-mass (100 u) nitrogen- and oxygen-bearing organic species.
* Single-ringed aromatic compounds.
* Complex, high-mass (exceeding 20 u) macromolecular fragments of insoluble organic material, featuring multiple aryl groups connected to hydrocarbon chains, along with nitrogen- and oxygen-bearing groups.
* Aryl (aromatic) and oxygen-bearing compounds in older E-ring grains.
Current study:
* Confirmed aryl and O-bearing compounds in fresh grains (ruling out that they formed due to space weathering)
* Aliphatic O-bearing compounds with carbonyl groups attached to a C2 organic, with acetaldehyde or acetic acid being likely candidates (aldehydes are interesting because they're intermediates precursors in the formation of amino acids)
* Aliphatic and cyclic esters and/or alkenes (on Earth, these are involved in the formation of fats and oils)
* Two classes of ether and/or ethyl compounds (on Earth, these are regularly found in living organisms)
* Tentative N- and O-bearing moieties. Potential candidates for these molecules include derivatives of pyrimidine, pyridine, and nitriles like acetonitrile (such molecules are involved in the reactions that form amino acids).
TL/DR: there may well be not just the atomic building blocks of life in there (CHONPS), but the molecular building blocks as well.
Re: Since nobody is going to mention what was foun (Score:1)
Tbh their conclusions are a bit of a stretch. They're trying to match mass spectra from Cassini with laboratory EI spectra of known compounds. From their analysis they are then claiming unequivocal identification of specific compound types ( esters, alkenes, ethers, etc). The Cassini data is pretty noisy and low resolution, and in general it's very difficult to determine exact composition based on real world data like this. To report this as unambiguous detection, instead of as a possible, is misleadi
We *might* get to Mars (Score:2)
*Might* -- Even in my lifetime (I'm in my 40's). Then what? That's really the limit of chemical rockets, in terms of getting humans to another planet. If we manage to put a human on Mars, then what? We can't get anywhere else.
join the coalition of the spilling. now! (Score:2)
> Then what?
we mine and thrash it
> then what? We can't get anywhere else.
we build a death star.
> Even in my lifetime
so selfish! it will take generations to bring democracy to that barbaric outer space. and bots. lots of bots.
Re: We *might* get to Mars (Score:2)
It's a step. And we'll get better and different engines and ways to travel the universe, but I doubt we won't live to see that happening in our lifetime, sadly.
This is a preposterous conclusion to make (Score:2)
Organic compounds exist everywhere in the universe - including lifeless asteroids. It's a consequence of physical chemistry not biological activity and is no indicator of a location being in any way habitable.
Re: This is a preposterous conclusion to make (Score:2)
Umm, they got you to click and read. That was the goal. There was never any serious chance of life there.
Re: (Score:1)
So these plumes are really bull shit in more ways than one.