Microbes Could Survive On Saturn's Moon Enceladus (space.com) 15
New research suggests Enceladus may be an especially promising place to search for extraterrestrial life: microbes similar to those found near Earth's hydrothermal vents survived in lab conditions designed to mimic the Saturnian moon's subsurface ocean. A separate study also found that material blasted from Enceladus' plumes may naturally separate and concentrate salts, organics and potential biosignatures into individual ice grains, potentially making them easier for future spacecraft to detect.
"That is great news in the search for life," Frank Postberg, lead author of one and co-author of the other of these new studies and professor at Freie Universitat Berlin, said in a statement. "Future spacecraft will have to analyze many individual ice particles in the plume. But if they come across one with microbial material in it, they could identify biosignatures in the particle relatively easy with already available technology." Space.com reports: Enceladus isn't the only place in our solar system with water -- so, why is it so exciting in the search for life? Well, it has to do with the seafloor of its extensive, liquid ocean. Down deep at the bottom of this body of water, scientists think hydrothermal processes, or movement or reactions with hot water under the surface, are taking place. The plumes shooting upward from the ocean also contain trace amounts of salts and organic compounds. NASA's Cassini spacecraft found these traces when it flew through the plumes over a decade ago. Between the hydrothermal activity and the organics and minerals in the water, this moon's ocean has a number of aspects that could be involved in supporting life.
What's more, using a combination of Cassini data, theoretical models and laboratory experimentation, in Postberg's new study the team found that the plume's water droplets blasting out into space at up to 621 miles per hour (1,000 kilometers per hour) don't freeze as quickly as expected. Before, scientists thought the freeze would happen instantaneously once the droplets reached space, but Postberg and fellow researchers say they found the freezing would actually happen much slower.
They also found that during this freezing process, the salt, organic compounds (and maybe possible signs of life) in the water droplets separate from one another. Not only that, but the team says that as the particles are blasted out into space, they should often collide with the icy cracks of the planet's surface. This ultimately would leave behind tiny shards of frozen droplets with individually separated out components. Essentially, it's like the planet has organized its oceanic ingredients into tiny, frozen particle fragments. This work is described in two new studies published in the journal Science Advances here and here.
"That is great news in the search for life," Frank Postberg, lead author of one and co-author of the other of these new studies and professor at Freie Universitat Berlin, said in a statement. "Future spacecraft will have to analyze many individual ice particles in the plume. But if they come across one with microbial material in it, they could identify biosignatures in the particle relatively easy with already available technology." Space.com reports: Enceladus isn't the only place in our solar system with water -- so, why is it so exciting in the search for life? Well, it has to do with the seafloor of its extensive, liquid ocean. Down deep at the bottom of this body of water, scientists think hydrothermal processes, or movement or reactions with hot water under the surface, are taking place. The plumes shooting upward from the ocean also contain trace amounts of salts and organic compounds. NASA's Cassini spacecraft found these traces when it flew through the plumes over a decade ago. Between the hydrothermal activity and the organics and minerals in the water, this moon's ocean has a number of aspects that could be involved in supporting life.
What's more, using a combination of Cassini data, theoretical models and laboratory experimentation, in Postberg's new study the team found that the plume's water droplets blasting out into space at up to 621 miles per hour (1,000 kilometers per hour) don't freeze as quickly as expected. Before, scientists thought the freeze would happen instantaneously once the droplets reached space, but Postberg and fellow researchers say they found the freezing would actually happen much slower.
They also found that during this freezing process, the salt, organic compounds (and maybe possible signs of life) in the water droplets separate from one another. Not only that, but the team says that as the particles are blasted out into space, they should often collide with the icy cracks of the planet's surface. This ultimately would leave behind tiny shards of frozen droplets with individually separated out components. Essentially, it's like the planet has organized its oceanic ingredients into tiny, frozen particle fragments. This work is described in two new studies published in the journal Science Advances here and here.
We lack information to reach that conclusion (Score:2)
We really don't know how is the ocean under Enceladus.
We ignore the composition, the exact temperature, etc.
All are assumptions. Sure, reasonable ones, but still a projection.
So let's take this article with a pinch of salt.
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I'd be surprised if anything other than thriving is the case. There is obvious heat and plenty of water and nutrients.
It's liquid! That makes it really comfy. Unless it's somehow 100degC then I don't see how temperature is going to be any sort of barrier. And even exceeding 100degC is not out of bounds for extremophiles.
A composition of any chemicals beyond pure H2O is just a treasure trove for microbes.
Just because life could survive there... (Score:2)
... doesn't mean it could evolve there in the first place.It seems life on earth evolved in very specific conditions then slowly ventured out into different enviroments via evolutionary change.
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Analytic chemistry (Score:2)
during this freezing process, the salt, organic compounds (...) in the water droplets separate from one another.
It looks Enceladus has its own chromatography device
Life seeding "Obligation" (Score:2)
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It's also possible that simple life is already abundant under the surfaces of Mars, Encleadus, Europa, Titan, Mimas, Callisto, Ganymede, Triton, Dione, Ceres, Charon and Pluto. Before we pollute it all, we have a responsibility to ascertain the facts.