A team of scientists, including Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Christopher Glein, has discovered new evidence for a key building block for life in the ocean beneath the moon Enceladus. The ocean of Enceladus should be rich in dissolved phosphorus, an essential ingredient for life, according to new modelling.
One of the main targets in the search for life in our solar system is Enceladus. He is a co-author of a paper on the topic. We have been blown away by the discoveries that have been made by the collected data.
From cracks in the moon's icy surface, a geyser of ice grains and water vapor erupted into the sky.
Most of the basic requirements of life are contained in the plume. Evidence for the availability of the bio essential element phosphorus was found in the ocean beneath the moon's icy crust.
In our solar system, worlds with oceans beneath a surface layer of ice are common. The icy satellites of the giant planets, as well as more distant bodies, are included in this world. The temperatures that support surface liquid water need to be maintained within a narrow range of distances. Over a wide range of distances, interior water ocean worlds can occur, greatly expanding the number of planets likely to exist in the universe.
The quest for extraterrestrial habitability in the solar system has shifted focus as we now look for the building blocks for life, including organic molecule, ammonia, sulfur-bearing compounds as well as the chemical energy needed to support life. Phosphorus is an interesting case because previous work suggested that it might be hard to find in the ocean of Enceladus.
All life on the planet depends on the form ofphosphates. It is essential for many things, including the creation of DNA andRNA, energy-carrying molecule, cell membranes, bones and teeth in people and animals.
The team members used insights from the ocean-seafloor system on Enceladus to model the chemical composition of the ocean. The most detailed model to date of how seafloor minerals are dissolved into the ocean was developed by them.
Glein said that the presence of dissolved phosphorus is inevitable, reaching levels close to or even higher than those in modern Earth water. It means that we can be more confident that the ocean of Enceladus is a good place to live.
The next step is to return to Enceladus to find out if the ocean is actually inhabited.
More information: "Abundant phosphorus expected for possible life in Enceladus's ocean", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201388119 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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