Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechA study zooms in on information that NASAs Cassini gathered at Saturns icy moon and finds evidence of a key component for life and a supercharged source of energy to fuel it.Scientists have known that the huge plume of ice grains and water vapor spewing from Saturns moon Enceladus is abundant with natural compounds, some of which are crucial for life as we understand it. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute”Our work offers more proof that Enceladus is host to some of the most crucial particles for both producing the structure blocks of life and for sustaining that life through metabolic reactions,” said lead author Jonah Peter, a doctoral student at Harvard University who performed much of the research while working at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Methanogenesis is prevalent on Earth, and might have been critical to the origin of life on our planet.The new work reveals proof for additional energy chemical sources far more varied and effective than the making of methane: The authors discovered a selection of organic substances that were oxidized, indicating to scientists that there are lots of chemical pathways to potentially sustain life in Enceladus subsurface ocean.”If methanogenesis is like a small watch battery, in terms of energy, then our outcomes recommend the ocean of Enceladus might use something more similar to an automobile battery, capable of supplying a large amount of energy to any life that may be present,” stated JPLs Kevin Hand, co-author of the research study and principal detective of the effort that led to the new results.Math Is the WayUnlike earlier research study that used lab experiments and geochemical modeling to duplicate the conditions Cassini found at Enceladus, the authors of the new work relied on comprehensive analytical analyses. “Our study shows that while Cassinis mission has actually ended, its observations continue to offer us with brand-new insights about Saturn and its moons– including the enigmatic Enceladus,” stated Tom Nordheim, a JPL planetary researcher whos a co-author of the study and was a member of the Cassini team.Reference: “Detection of HCN and varied redox chemistry in the plume of Enceladus” by Jonah S. Peter, Tom A. Nordheim and Kevin P. Hand, 14 December 2023, Nature Astronomy.DOI: 10.1038/ s41550-023-02160-0More About the MissionThe Cassini-Huygens mission was a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Italian Space Agency.
Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechA study zooms in on information that NASAs Cassini gathered at Saturns icy moon and discovers evidence of a key active ingredient for life and a supercharged source of energy to fuel it.Scientists have actually known that the giant plume of ice grains and water vapor gushing from Saturns moon Enceladus is rich with natural compounds, some of which are important for life as we know it.”If methanogenesis is like a small watch battery, in terms of energy, then our results recommend the ocean of Enceladus may use something more comparable to an automobile battery, capable of supplying a large quantity of energy to any life that might be present,” stated JPLs Kevin Hand, co-author of the study and principal investigator of the effort that led to the new results.Math Is the WayUnlike earlier research study that utilized lab experiments and geochemical modeling to duplicate the conditions Cassini found at Enceladus, the authors of the new work relied on in-depth analytical analyses. “Our research study demonstrates that while Cassinis objective has actually ended, its observations continue to provide us with brand-new insights about Saturn and its moons– including the enigmatic Enceladus,” said Tom Nordheim, a JPL planetary researcher whos a co-author of the research study and was a member of the Cassini team.Reference: “Detection of HCN and diverse redox chemistry in the plume of Enceladus” by Jonah S. Peter, Tom A. Nordheim and Kevin P. Hand, 14 December 2023, Nature Astronomy.DOI: 10.1038/ s41550-023-02160-0More About the MissionThe Cassini-Huygens objective was a cooperative task of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Italian Space Agency.
