Possibility for Life on Titan

For me personally, Saturn's Moon Titan is not the first choice associated with life exploration in our solar system, ok there have been discussions that maybe life could live there and use methane as a source to live in, but we hear of Mars and Europa many more times when talking about finding extraterrestrial life.

Titan is a frozen world with a dense atmosphere, methane rain and hydrocarbon seas. It's not the first place I'd think of to look for life, and I've found others that think the same:

Quote:

Titan may be too cold for life now. But in several billion years time, our Sun will become a red giant, swelling to fifty times its current size. Then the temperature on Titan's surface will rise to a more hospitable -100ºC.

Source

However scientists are now looking to places on Earth that are (apart from the frozen conditions) of a similar nature to the moon, They have been looking at Pitch Lake on the Caribbean island of Trinidad:

Quote:

Aside from the very cold surface conditions on Titan, the environmental conditions within Pitch Lake are one of the closest copycats for that moon that we can find on our planet.

What they have found is a broad spectrum of microbes living in the pitch:

Quote:

The discovery of a broad spectrum of microbes in this lake enhances the possibility for life in Titan’s hydrocarbon seas, researchers said. Some of Titan's hydrocarbon reservoirs might be heated from below, providing energy that potentially enhances the possibility of at least the precursor molecules for life.

Although it's speculation the hydrocarbon reservoirs might be heated, I still find this discovery of microbial life living in this harsh environment interesting, and who knows they may well be right, the reservoirs could well be heated, I guess only time and study of this frozen moon will tell.

I found a few sources regarding this, it makes interesting reading:

source

source

Cool isn't it ?

I skimmed by it this morning.It got me thinking tho.

Isn't that stuff not supposed to be made of organic residue ?

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


Hi Sinter klaas

Yeah, your right, Dead organic matter had accumulated over millions of years and deteriorated forming oil


Source

Here's a good site on the Pitch lake:

Source








[edit on 8-5-2010 by Majestic RNA]

Well doesn't this also count for the stuff they describe then ?
Cause it would mean, for it to be there you need life.

Or did I misunderstand ?

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


I see what you mean, but I think due to the microbes living in a hydrocabon enviroment without oxygen is what the scientists are interested in.


This life, which dwells in asphalt ranging between 90 to 132 degrees F (32 to 56 degrees C), apparently feeds off hydrocarbons. Instead of breathing oxygen

reply to post by Majestic RNA


I don't really think what I meant. Could be me mis interpreting your answer.

For that carbon stuff to exists at all shouldn't there be plants and animals in the past that formed the stuff in the first place ? ( Like a lot of them ? )
Or could the oil etc also be formed different from our current understanding ?

Whatever the conditions today are doesn't matter for this.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


He he, ok let’s get this right then, your saying (quite rightly) that the pitch lake in Trinidad was formed by an organic process yeah? So how could that then be the same as Titan?

Well as far I can work out the lakes on Titan are not the same but do have a large hydrocarbon make up, this is produced through the rains and maybe the underground methane reservoirs replenishing the lakes, so this gives the possibility life could then exsist there, they say Titan is like an early Earth...

Observations suggest that underground methane reservoirs must exist.




Here, read this it may shed some light on the matter for you

Astronomy.com









[edit on 8-5-2010 by Majestic RNA]

reply to post by Majestic RNA


Thank you. That was helpful.

There is no doubt life exits on Titan and when the original photos came

back I could see geometrically designed shipping ports along with

structures, spaceport and a lighthouse. When I went back in to see the

original photos they had been doctored.


Methane lake dream on, I say H2O oceans and viewing other photos the

precise structures and statues from Titan leave no doubt Titan has living

intelligent beings on the surface. ^Y^

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


No problem Sinter Klaas, I’m glad I could clear that up for you, I do love the current times we live in, space exploration is getting far more advanced each year, I can’t wait for the day Humans discover life in our solar system, (putting UFO’s and aliens aside, I mean PROOF of life existing elsewhere, with evidence) I do think it will happen in my lifetime (well I hope so anyway) I’m personally convinced there is life out there other than the Earths multitude of organisms and it’s only a matter of time before we find it…

Off topic: are you Dutch?? I see you live in the Netherlands, I love Holland!! Been many times!!

reply to post by Majestic RNA


Dutch indeed

I completely agree with you these are exciting times we live in.
I also love space. If you take a look on my member profile on threads. I've gathered a number of fascinating pictures and discoveries. Maybe there is one you missed.
Like this one. Left over super nova from the inside out ( 3-D video )

Where have you been when you visited my country ?

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


Yes I did miss that post, great video!! Cassiopeia in 3-D Mode!! Great stuff!! The wonders of this Galaxy alone are amazing and to think there are billions of other galaxies’s out there!! The mind boggles!!

off topic:

I’ve been to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Hagg and Utrecht. I started to visit Holland to frequent the Coffee shops when I was Young, then fell in love with the people and architecture… I could go on but it’s off topic and I’ll probley get harassed by the mods for it…

reply to post by Majestic RNA


Feel free to U2U me