Titan may hold Alien life! University of Arizona Scientists say.

Titan, the greatest Moon of Saturn, is also the only one in the solar system to having a developed atmosphere; so developed to contain the fundamental ingredients of the life, complex molecules like amino acids and nucleotides.



It demonstrates in a recent experiment of the University of Arizona, lead from an international team of investigators whose attempt to recreate the Titan atmosphere artificially, has produced and turned out interesting and potentially revolutionary results!

The molecules discovered include the five nucleotide bases used by life on Earth to build the genetic materials DNA and RNA: cytosine, adenine, thymine, guanine and uracil, and the two smallest amino acids, glycine and alanine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.

This discovery follows other important discoveries: the presence of Ions of oxygen to high energy that flows in the atmosphere of Titan, and the discovery of other Ions and molecules more complex than expected, the presence of the immense oceans of liquid water under its surface www.scientificamerican.com... and the presence of enormous amounts of Methane in its atmosphere!

“Our results show that it is possible to make very complex molecules in the outer parts of an atmosphere," said Sarah Hörst, a graduate student in the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Lab, in a UA News story. She led the research effort with her adviser, planetary science professor Roger Yelle.Titan is one of the most promising places for life elsewhere in the solar system. It has huge methane lakes and scientists recently learned that hydrogen is disappearing faster than it should at the surface, suggesting some sort of chemical reaction is consuming it.

www.popsci.com...

www.lpl.arizona.edu...

Therefore, considering that all the fundamental elements of the life turned out, then it was also possible that they got stuck between them, joining. LIFE!?

New Cassini Findings Show Possible Signs of Methane-Based Life on Titan www.popsci.com...

Life Discovered Thriving in Trinidadian Lake of Hydrocarbons, Suggesting Titan Could Support Life Too
www.popsci.com...

"Who knows this kind of chemistry isn’t happening on planets outside our solar system?” she said.

"Even in our Solar System, right behind the corner!" (my add)

uhhh great news from the neighborhood

star!

And I thought of The Sirens of Titan when I read the thread title. [grin]

Awesome find.

reply to post by Arken


awesome! these titan discoveries are so interesting
can't wait to find out more!
thanks for sharing

reply to post by Arken


Very cool! Looking forward to hearing more!

reply to post by Arken
Based on the thread title, I came to bitch and moan that Titan and Europa are popular candidates for life and have been for the past few years. Instead, your OP is well presented and informative. It collects some good sources and ideas in one place so I've flagged it.

Not so long ago, planets were the focus and now we're beginning to expect moons could be just as likely to host life. As the Kepler Mission develops, it'll begin to flag planets in habitable zones and highlight the increasing potential for moons being able to sustain life.

I remember reading that in terms of atmosphere and physical features... Titan is the closest planetary body to earth. It has sand dunes, hills, valleys, oceans; and it rains

It would definitely be a cool spot to find life

reply to post by Kandinsky



Actually one of the theories ive seen talks about Mars being habitable in the past, and was a moon to a larger body.

Either or, good find OP - S&F

Its refreshing that NASA is finally getting around to the conclusion that life doesn't have to look like what we are used to here on Earth.

I also found it interesting that NASA had this mindset of a Goldilocks zone being a must. We are still learning about Gravity, space, etc I dont think its out of the realm of possibility that moons farther out could possibly harbor life.

For years I have held on to the notion that Titan and Europa might be viable candidates for life. I agree that it is possible for cases of life not as we know it here on Earth is possible and that the Goldilocks Zone isnt a must for life. Hearing that these basic life elements are present is certainly a step in the right direction.

Great post this is even more evidence that my alien master race theory could be true.... Watch out everyone were a science expirement of a greater
more advanced being and I think we might be a second attempt

Interesting read but it's old news here's a link to NASA that talks about it. www.nasa.gov... Just think what we could do with all that methane.

reply to post by Arken



Until we send a probe that can withstand the intense atmosphere and send back a sample to Earth for analysis, we should not jump to conclusions. We must consider the limitations of biochemistry in matters pertaining to bio-molecules. Especially the need for the presence of liquid water in order to facilitate the chemical reactions in DNA and its proteins. Titan's average temperature is around minus - 180 degrees Celsius. That is why nitrogen and hydrocarbon molecules such as ethane and methane become fluid and water is frozen solid there. At least here on Earth we rely on liquid water in order to facilitate the reactions related to DNA and its subsequent products. It would be interesting if analogues to DNA and proteins have evolved on Titan. As an example I reference this article:

Evolving Artificial DNA

Again I am doubtful that life has existed there. Furthermore, the temperature is too low. What brings up an interesting question up for debate concerning Titan is the whole debate of the theory of abiotic petroleum. But that is a subject for a different posting.

One thing I forgot to mention that Europa has a better chance of harboring life or least facilitating the formation of bio-molecules similar to Earth's. It is believed that Europa has a liquid ocean that could be around 62 kilometers deep compared to Earth's 3 Km. So somewhere within that Europa ocean, there has to be a habitable zone that is conducive to DNA and protein analogues and their respective functions.

Cheers

its very exciting news to find amino acids an nucleotide bases (5 of them) on titan thats the ingrediants for life here, but on trinidadian it is much more habitable, an the have foun many more gasses in its lakes

reply to post by Kratos40



I personally believe we have no understanding of life other then what we think is necessary for their to be life somewhere. I agree with you to some extent so I am not trying to offend you in any way so I hope you don't take it personally.

The only examples of life that we are knowledgeable about is life here on Earth because that is all we know. We know a lot but I think when it comes down to it we have only scratched the surface. Who says life somewhere else has to be anything like it is here on Earth?

I am not smart enough to debate with you about it but it is just my 2 cents.


Edit:Who says life somewhere else has to be anything like it is here on Earth?, Chemically or on a molecular level.

reply to post by Άδης


Being we just found another 750,000 species we never knew about under the ocean over the last 10 years I would say we don't know as much as we think.

Couple this with finding specialized animals close to 5 miles deep....

The Goldilocks zone we talk about is geared to what we perceive as life, and we seem to be nervous about moving that goal post. We have all the signs of different type of microbial life on Mars, 2 moons, etc and yet we are so scared to classify it as such.

Sometimes I wonder ho is more afraid, the population, or the scientists... The population seems to be more comfortable with the thought of ET life than our own scientists do.

Spring Has Sprung ... On Titan! October 18, 2010

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sent back dreamy raw images of Saturn's moon Titan that show the appearance of clouds around the moon's midsection. These bright clouds likely appeared because the moon is changing seasons and spring has arrived in Titan's northern hemisphere. The images were taken from about 2.5 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) away from Titan on Oct. 18, 2010, and also show the faint etchings of Saturn's rings. One of the new raw images also features a cameo from the icy moon Tethys, which looks smaller and brighter than Titan in the image.

Full image www.nasa.gov...

www.nasa.gov...