[url]http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19005-hints-of-life-found-on-saturn-moon.html[/url]
[quote]Two potential signatures of life on Saturn's moon Titan have been found by the Cassini spacecraft. But scientists are quick to point out that non-biological chemical reactions could also be behind the observations.
Titan is much too cold to support liquid water on its surface, but some scientists have suggested that exotic life-forms could live in the lakes of liquid methane or ethane that dot the moon's surface.
In 2005, Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field and Heather R Smith of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, calculated that such microbes could eke out an existence by breathing in hydrogen gas and eating the organic molecule acetylene, creating methane in the process.
This would result in a lack of acetylene on Titan and a depletion of hydrogen close to the moon's surface, where the microbes would live, they said.
Now, measurements from the Cassini spacecraft have borne out these predictions, hinting that life may be present.
Hungry for hydrogen
Infrared spectra of Titan's surface taken with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) showed no sign of acetylene, even though ultraviolet sunlight should constantly trigger its production in the moon's thick atmosphere. The VIMS study, led by Roger Clark of the US Geological Survey in Denver, Colorado, will appear in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Cassini measurements also suggest hydrogen is disappearing near Titan's surface, according to a study to appear in Icarus by Darrell Strobel of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Observations with the spacecraft's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer and its Composite Infrared Spectrometer revealed that hydrogen produced by UV-triggered chemical reactions in the atmosphere is flowing both upwards and off into space as well as down towards the surface.
Yet the hydrogen is not accumulating near the surface, hinting that something may be consuming it there. The results reveal "very unusual and currently unexplained chemistry", McKay told New Scientist. "Certainly not proof of life, but very interesting."
Too slow
It is possible that the hydrogen is combining with carbon in molecules on Titan's surface to make methane. But at the low temperatures prevalent on Titan, these reactions would normally occur too slowly to account for the disappearing hydrogen.
Similarly, non-biological chemical reactions could transform acetylene into benzene – a hydrocarbon that the VIMS instrument did observe on Titan's surface. But in that case, too, a catalyst would be needed to boost reaction rates enough to account for the dearth of acetylene.
"Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation should be the last choice after all non-biological explanations are addressed," says Mark Allen of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "We have a lot of work to do to rule out possible non-biological explanations."
Jonathan Lunine of the University of Arizona in Tucson, a member of Clark's team, agrees. But he says it may not be possible to distinguish between biological and non-biological explanations without additional missions to Titan. "The only way to know for sure would be to actually get hold of an organism and show that it is alive," he told New Scientist.[/quote]
This is and artist's impression of what Titan's lakes of methane look like:
[img]http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn19005/dn19005-1_300.jpg[/img]
Here is an actual photograph of the surface:
[img]http://www.weirdwarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Actual-image-of-Titans-surface.jpg[/img]
This is Titan from space:
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Titan_in_natural_color_Cassini.jpg[/img]
:buddy: Cool. So in other words, there is a lack of hydrogen and they think that some organisms are consuming it?
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;22365895]
Here is an actual photograph of the surface:
*pic*
[/QUOTE]
Stuff like this is awesome :science:
Its atmosphere and planet-side climate is that of a proto-earth, it's like watching earth be born again as a moon. It isn't surprising in the least that life will start cropping up on it in the next few million years, evolution being the slow process it is.
The expected chemicals that should be there aren't. This could be sign of a strange chemistry, something overlooked or undetected, or molecules capable of utilising the chemicals for energy. If they are self-reproducing then we have life.
Space, I love it.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;22365895]
[img]http://www.weirdwarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Actual-image-of-Titans-surface.jpg[/img]
[/QUOTE]
Those look like river/beach deposits
space is awesome. we got tonnes of shit up there finding new stuff every day.
:smug: Manned mission please and thank you.
Cool
I hope there are more developments on this.
Oh boy, God's gonna be pissed if this is true.
They should stop calling micro organisms life. Life is... having a life, doing shit, I do not think of bacteria when I say life, I think of intelligent beings with society.
[QUOTE=MisterMooth;22366261]Oh boy, [b]Chrisianity/Other religions[/b] are gonna be pissed if this is true.[/QUOTE]
Fixed
Well.. One religion might call a holy war against it..
[QUOTE=altthe6th;22366286]They should stop calling micro organisms life. Life is... having a life, doing shit, I do not think of bacteria when I say life, I think of intelligent beings with society.[/QUOTE]
you think that because you're dumb
how are single celled organisms not life? by your logic plants and many animals aren't alive.
[QUOTE=altthe6th;22366286]They should stop calling micro organisms life. Life is... having a life, doing shit, I do not think of bacteria when I say life, I think of intelligent beings with society.[/QUOTE]
Your definition is wrong.
[QUOTE=Asm;22366329]Fixed
Well.. One religion might call a holy war against it..[/QUOTE]
They won't "call a holy war against it", the very very most any religion will do is say that scientists are lying, but the vast vast majority of religious people won't have a problem, just like most of them don't have a problem with evolution or the big bang or anything.
[QUOTE=Negrul1;22366349]you think that because you're dumb
how are single celled organisms not life? by your logic plants and many animals aren't alive.[/QUOTE]
all I am saying is, they should call it what it is, fucking micro organisms. When someone says life, the first thing you think of is humans, animals, creatures with hearts is it not?
and, you are dumb. I can name call too. You have no idea what my logic is.
[QUOTE=altthe6th;22366286]They should stop calling micro organisms life. Life is... having a life, doing shit, I do not think of bacteria when I say life, I think of intelligent beings with society.[/QUOTE]
You, sir, are a moron.
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("flaming" - Jaanus))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=Vexont;22365954]Its atmosphere and planet-side climate is that of a proto-earth, it's like watching earth be born again as a moon. It isn't surprising in the least that life will start cropping up on it in the next few million years, evolution being the slow process it is.[/QUOTE]
To bad that Titan is freaking freezing and the only heat source that Titan can get is from beneath its surface as a result of gravitational fluxes from Saturn.
Titan will almost surely be different from Earth.
[QUOTE=attackyourself!;22366426]You, sir, are a moron.[/QUOTE]
for what? stating my opinion?
step back and observe you idiot.
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Flamin" - birkett))[/highlight]
I love seeing pictures taken from the surface of other planets, it's so god damn awesome.
[QUOTE=altthe6th;22366415]all I am saying is, they should call it what it is, fucking micro organisms. When someone says life, the first thing you think of is humans, animals, creatures with hearts is it not?
and, you are dumb. I can name call too. You have no idea what my logic is.[/QUOTE]
Well, it seems that you like to define life as conscious organisms. That's a very spiritual view.
However, where would you draw the line? Do you test organisms for self-awareness? How about organisms with hearts like jellyfish (who have extensive nervous systems)?
For the purposes of science, you see, we have a set of criteria to classify something as living and something as not living because it's impossible to get into the mind of another living being (we think). Whether or not you call microorganisms life is not really important, it's the fact that the microorganisms are there that's the important part.
I am always interested in outer space news. This is quite incredible! Also so goddamn awesome...
[img]http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/13/troll.gif[/img] In this thread.
Also, this is really awesome. :science:
[QUOTE=Agent Cobra;22366473]I love seeing pictures taken from the surface of other planets, it's so god damn awesome.[/QUOTE]
I just think that nothing has touched those rocks since for ever, and am left awe struck, space is amazing, we have no idea what goes on out of our solar system, it just baffles the mind how it could be endless.
[QUOTE=The_Fly56556;22366492][img_thumb]http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/13/troll.gif[/img_thumb]
Also, this is really awesome. :science:[/QUOTE]
What is that?
[QUOTE=altthe6th;22366286]They should stop calling micro organisms life. Life is... having a life, doing shit, I do not think of bacteria when I say life, I think of intelligent beings with society.[/QUOTE]
Sentience and Sapience are not requirements for life.
And by your logic cockroaches and emerald jewel wasps aren't alive.
And just to back this up:
[B]FRIED MARG[/B]
[B][U]F[/U][/B]eeding
[B][U]R[/U][/B]espiration
[B][U]I[/U][/B]rritability
[B][U]E[/U][/B]xcretion
[B][U]D[/U][/B]eath
[B][U]M[/U][/B]ovement
[B][U]A[/U][/B]daptability
[B][U]R[/U][/B]eproduction
[B][U]G[/U][/B]rowth
If it can do these it's technically classed as alive.
[QUOTE=altthe6th;22366446]for what? stating my opinion?
step back and observe you idiot.[/QUOTE]
Jesus, I knew when I was 11 that there are 7 life processes, and if an organism performs them, then they are technically alive. Movement, reproduction and growth. Single celled organism can do those things, therefore they are living.
[editline]01:05PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=bravehat;22366511]Sentience and Sapience are not requirements for life.
And by your logic cockroaches and emerald jewel wasps aren't alive.
And just to back this up:
FRIED MARG (this might be wrong I can't remember the entire thing properly and can't be fucked looking through my bio books)
Feeding
Respiration
Irritability
Excretion
Death
Movement
Adaptability
Reproduction
Growth
If it can do these it's technically classed as alive.[/QUOTE]
You fucking ninja bastard.
[QUOTE=billeh!;22366498]What is that?[/QUOTE]
A troll.
And it's eating.
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