Life on Enceladus?
Secluded Islands
10-03-2006, 17:13
Scientists discover water geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus. Could there be a possible chance of life there?
Scientists have found evidence that cold, Yellowstone-like geysers of water are issuing from a moon of Saturn called Enceladus, apparently fueled by liquid reservoirs that may lie just tens of yards beneath the moon's icy surface.
The surprising discovery, detailed in Friday's issue of the journal Science, could shoot Enceladus to the top of the list in the search for life elsewhere in our solar system. Scientists described it as the most important discovery in planetary science in a quarter-century.
"Living organisms require liquid water and organic materials, and we know we have both on Enceladus now," she said. "The plumes through which Cassini flew last July contain methane, contain CO2, propane — they contain several organic materials."
The third necessary ingredient — energy for fueling life's processes — could exist around hydrothermal vents around the bottom of Enceladus' water reservoirs, just as it does around Earth's deep-ocean hydrothermal vents.
very interesting find. maybe the discovery of life is right around the corner...
EDIT: rest of the artcile here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11736311/from/RS.5/
Drunk commies deleted
10-03-2006, 17:18
Scientists discover water geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus. Could there be a possible chance of life there?
very interesting find. maybe the discovery of life is right around the corner...
Maybe they have blonde, furry lobsters too.
Secluded Islands
10-03-2006, 17:20
Maybe they have blonde, furry lobsters too.
i bet thats where the "graboids" came from...:p
(hopefully someone knows what im talking about)
Drunk commies deleted
10-03-2006, 17:34
i bet thats where the "graboids" came from...:p
(hopefully someone knows what im talking about)
Are they the things from the movie "Tremors"?
Secluded Islands
10-03-2006, 17:36
Are they the things from the movie "Tremors"?
:D yep. the character Earl always thought they were from space...
Baratstan
10-03-2006, 17:43
So far life has always been found in liquid water (I think), even boiling water, there are apparently even bacteria that can survive massive doses of radiation (the radiation supposedly breaks them apart, but they put themselves back togther again). I reckon there could be a good chance of life there.
Iztatepopotla
10-03-2006, 17:48
Mmmh... whatever Saturn can do I think Jupiter can do better. So, go Europa!
Although for some reason Enceladus seems like a good spot for a truck stop.
Baratstan
11-03-2006, 17:51
Mmmh... whatever Saturn can do I think Jupiter can do better. So, go Europa!
Although for some reason Enceladus seems like a good spot for a truck stop.
Europa's exposed to a lot more radiation than Enceladus, so it could be more difficult for life to develop there - on the other hand, conditions on Earth could be viewed as terribly extreme to (hypothetical) extra-terrestrials, just as we may view their conditions as extreme. Maybe life could be anywhere...
Santa Barbara
11-03-2006, 18:22
I wonder what the discovery of extra-terrestrial life will do to the Creationists?
The ones who say that it's so ass-bleedingly unlikely for any planet to have life on it, that the fact that we do is sign of God's existence and intervention.
The Divided God
11-03-2006, 18:28
I wonder what the discovery of extra-terrestrial life will do to the Creationists?
The ones who say that it's so ass-bleedingly unlikely for any planet to have life on it, that the fact that we do is sign of God's existence and intervention.
They would say God put the life there for human benefit
Dobbsworld
11-03-2006, 18:32
They would say God put the life there for human benefit
Naw, they'd say God put the life there to test the faith of astronomers.
Santa Barbara
11-03-2006, 18:36
They would say God put the life there for human benefit
But it wasn't mentioned in Genesis.
Plus, it detracts from the whole "life on Earth is too improbable to be an evolution" concept.
From what I heard on NPR by an astronomer, they don't have 100% that it is water. Rather that this liquid has water like qualities, and with our limited knowledge of space, we don't know what type of liquids are out there, meaning there could be liquids like water, butmight be impossible to grow life in.
As for the any biblical/God refrence, I don't remember it saying anywhere in my religious text that there is not any life else where in the universe. I could be wrong though. It would seem as if God was retarded if he only made life on Earth. But not to say that we aren't His/Her/It's favorite:p
I wonder what the discovery of extra-terrestrial life will do to the Creationists?
Not a lot. Life from Earth could easily be carried around the solar system as a result of meteoritic impacts (some meteorites found on Earth have come from Mars, so it's highly likely there's been transfer in the other direction).
Not a lot. Life from Earth could easily be carried around the solar system as a result of meteoritic impacts (some meteorites found on Earth have come from Mars, so it's highly likely there's been transfer in the other direction).
hmm..i have honestly never thought about that before...