IT media Gizmodo reported on the 14th (local time) that key evidence that life exists on Saturn’s satellite Enceladus has been discovered.
Recently, researchers identified hydrogen cyanide in Enceladus using data collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. Hydrogen cyanide is one of the essential molecules that form amino acids, one of the most basic components of life. The results of this study were recently introduced in the international academic journal ‘Nature Astronomy’.
An illustration photo imagining NASA’s Cassini spacecraft flying above a water column spewing out from the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus (Photo = NASA)
“The discovery of hydrogen cyanide is particularly interesting because it is the starting point for most theories about the origin of life,” said Jonah Peter of Harvard University, the main author of the paper. “Enceladus appears to meet the basic requirements for the possibility of life.” “He said.
He also explained that this study “allows researchers to better understand how complex biomolecules can form on Enceladus.”
“Our study provides further evidence that Enceladus harbors some of the most important molecules for generating the building blocks of life and sustaining life through metabolic reactions,” Peter said.
Large amounts of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which are energy sources for life, were detected in the ice-covered ocean of Enceladus. (Photo = NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
The Cassini spacecraft explored Saturn’s moon Enceladus for about 20 years. A water column was detected on Enceladus during a flyby of Enceladus in 2005, but detailed information was not obtained at the time. Since then, through several close flights, organic compounds such as ice grains, methane, and carbon dioxide have been measured in the Enceladus water column. On Earth, this process plays a critical role in the formation of life.
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NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which revealed the secrets of Saturn, completed its mission in 2017 and disappeared into history. (Photo = NASA)
“This study shows that the oceans on Enceladus could provide large amounts of energy for any life that might exist there,” said study co-author Kevin Hand. “If it is like the battery of a small watch, the results of this study are similar to the electric battery of a car,” he explained.
Although Cassini ended its long-running Saturn observation mission in 2017, the data collected by the spacecraft continues to reveal secrets about Saturn to scientists around the world.
