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Enceladus may be a "treasure trove of habitable chemistry", and the new discovery of the plume has sparked heated discussions in the scientific community
In the vastness of the universe, we may have found another cradle of life. According to the latest research in Nature Astronomy, Enceladus, the ice-covered moon of Saturn, has a plume rich in organic molecules, and may even have a "chemical storehouse" that provides a habitable environment for the microbiota.
Back in 2005, the Cassini spacecraft first discovered a large plume of material escaping from Enceladus's southern hemisphere into space, which appeared to originate in the subterranean ocean beneath the cracks in the moon's ice. This time, the Harvard research team re-analyzed the data collected by Cassini and made more surprising discoveries.
In addition to previously identified water, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and molecular hydrogen, the research team discovered new organic molecules, including the hydrocarbons hydrogen cyanide, acetylene, propylene, and ethane, as well as alcohols (methanol) and molecular oxygen. These compounds are commonly found in life on Earth, sparking a heated debate in the scientific community about the possible existence of life on Enceladus.
However, the researchers also point out that the ability of these compounds to support life depends largely on how much they are diluted in Enceladus' subsurface ocean. Nevertheless, this discovery undoubtedly provides new clues and directions for our search for extraterrestrial life. Enceladus may indeed harbor a "treasure trove of habitable chemistry" just waiting to be explored.
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