Scientists excited by signs of life on Saturn's moon

[Today]

Source!

EVIDENCE of life has been discovered on Saturn's biggest moon, Titan.

Analysis of data sent back by NASA's Cassini probe suggests primitive aliens are breathing in Titan's atmosphere and feeding on fuel at the surface.

The startling discoveries, made using an orbiting spacecraft, are revealed in two separate reports.

Organic chemicals had already been detected on Titan but the liquid is methane, not water, and scientists expect life there to be methane-based.

The first paper said hydrogen gas flowing down through Titan's atmosphere disappears at the surface, suggesting it could be being breathed by alien bugs.

The other paper reports there is a lack of a certain chemical on the surface, leading scientists to believe it may be being consumed by life.

Scientists had expected sunlight interacting with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce a coating of acetylene on Titan's surface but Cassini detected no acetylene there.

Experts warn there could be other explanations for the results. But taken together, they fulfil two important conditions necessary for methane-based life to exist.

NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay said: "If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."

Scientists believe that when the Sun swells up, swallowing Earth, conditions could be ideal on Titan.

Professor John Zarnecki, of the Open University, said: "We believe the chemistry is there for life to form. It just needs heat and warmth to kick-start the process.

"In four billion years' time, when the Sun swells into a red giant, it could be paradise on Titan."

It's also really hard to find happy news. I even searched happy news and got nothing... x__x;

 

[MPH Deku]

Now THIS is awesome.

Maybe we can all move to Titan when the sun goes big?

 

[victra♥]

OHMMMMYYGOSHHHHH hahaha

two things xD

1. Today didn't share a disturbing story. xD
2. Possible extraterrestrial life? SO HYPE

Thats fantastic! Unbelievable. I can't believe it...I wanna totally be optimistic about this! hahaha

 

[T-block]

Now THIS is awesome.

Maybe we can all move to Titan when the sun goes big?

Have fun drinking methane =P

 

[StinkomanFan]

Aliens!? I hope this won't end like "Signs", "Plan 9 From Outer Space", or "E.T."

 

[victra♥]

heres another article on the topic
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=astrobiologist-tries-to-set-the-rec-2010-06-08

its literally news released 2 hours ago. Thank you so much for sharing Today!

 

[Mr.Freeman]

Hope it is aliens doing this.

It'd be pretty cool.

 

[Pluvia]

OMG! !

THIS IS HUGE NEWS!

 

[SkylerOcon]

Aw, man, if it really is extraterrestrial life, it's gonna be so cool!

I hope they confirm this soon.

 

[¯\_S.(ツ).L.I.D._/¯]

Thanks for sharing, Today, this is really cool!

 

[El Nino]

And NASA attempts to justify its existence in the post-Cold War world. Keep it coming, guys, before your organization becomes any more a relic of the past than it already is.

/cynic

(But really, it is kind of neat.)

 

[victra♥]

I think its pretty hilarious how most of the current events are given to us by someone with the name Today. haha <3

But really, it is kind of neat

 

[Crimson King]

Well, they won't be intelligent from the sound of it. This is still really cool.

 

[UberMario]

Well, it's Today's news.

They haven't confirmed that it is in fact life yet, as there are numerous possibilities as to why the elements are disappearing at the surface.

 

[Geist]

fingers crossed :D

 

[Mic_128]

Hopefully they aren't Zerg larva.

This is pretty awesome news! Woot!

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

Hawking is dilusional. Our time on this planet needs to end soon anyways.

Hawking's fears are more or less a fantasy of mine. Re-create the pioneering of Columbus.

@CK - Nothing new there. *Points to earth people*



edit:

wtf, 4 billion years is way too long of a wait.

 

[GoldShadow]

Well, they won't be intelligent from the sound of it.

Oh cool so it'll be like most life on Earth!

 

[Mota]

Teehee^

This is really cool though. All those that doubted the existence of aliens, hah!

Keep it coming Today, good or bad.

 

[Xivii]

Hawking's fears are more or less a fantasy of mine. Re-create the pioneering of Columbus.

Ah I can just imagine.

Just wait in 4 billion years. I'm sure the earth would be too toxic to live on by then due to oil infested waters, overproduction of plastic, O3 deterioration, and nuclear experiments. Important/Rich people would have been living in Wall-E like shuttles for the past 3.999 billion years.

 

[Jam Stunna]

It would be amazing if Titan had life. I'm definitely crossing my fingers!

 

[Fuelbi]

This is cool I admit.

Although, unless we can confirm that these guys are less intelligent than us, we shouldn't be looking for aliens. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe in these guys, I just think we can run into big trouble if we end up finding more intelligent life than us. Imagine, we want peace, yet they want to obliterate us with their laser guns. It'll be like the killing of the Indians. They wanted peace, and led them to believe they had it, only to end up shooting at them all.

 

[Mewter]

Maybe they'll get angry at us and shoot acidic freeze-beams from their eyes!
:bugthumbu

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

Although, unless we can confirm that these guys are less intelligent than us, we shouldn't be looking for aliens. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe in these guys, I just think we can run into big trouble if we end up finding more intelligent life than us. Imagine, we want peace, yet they want to obliterate us with their laser guns. It'll be like the killing of the Indians. They wanted peace, and led them to believe they had it, only to end up shooting at them all.

Lol, so basically everything Hawking already said.


I'm all for an intergalactic re-pioneering of Earth.

 

[Fuelbi]

Lol, so basically everything Hawking already said.

Whoo hoo!

I guess that means I still have some smarticle particles left in me :D

And no, I did not research that or anything and then ripped him off, that's really my honest opinion

 

[Jon Farron]

LOL if there is life there i wonder if they think saturn is their moon
Really neat...

 

[Jon Farron]

I wonder what creationists think of this...

 

[Geist]

I think in 4 billion years we either would have succeeded in killing eachother off, or we'd be long gone to other planets.
Doesn't it seem a bit hopeful to claim that it may be 'small bugs', let alone a species more advanced than us that has somehow kept it's existence a secret? I'd still be super hyped if it turned out to be something as primitive as stromatolites.

I wonder what creationists think of this...

The more evidence against creationism there is, the more righteous the believers tend to think themselves. So basically exactly how they felt before they heard the news.
Also, Jesus buried the dinosaur bones.

 

[victra♥]

yeah, i seriously can't wait for the official news on this. Discovering life else where in the universe, and in our own solar system no less, is sooooo exciting!

 

[Mr.Freeman]

So what would methane-based life look like? I mean, if they found something more complex than one-celled organisms.

Bugs?

....flying jellyfish?

 

[WB40]

Now THIS is awesome.

Maybe we can all move to Titan when the sun goes big?

Yes.

I suggest we try and cross-breed with the aliens

 

[UberMario]

The more evidence against creationism there is, the more righteous the believers tend to think themselves. So basically exactly how they felt before they heard the news.

Actually there isn't really anything in the Sacred Texts [of Creationists] that disproves the existance of aliens (other than mentioning the Earth's existance and destruction will be linked to that of the others), in fact there are a few lines that do seem to imply their existance.

 

[Fuelbi]

Yes.

I suggest we try and cross-breed with the aliens

I can't wait to see the alien babes in a couple billion years

 

[Mic_128]

I can't wait to see the alien babes in a couple billion years

...when they burst out of our chests.

 

[Fuelbi]

I said babes not babies

 

[Tom]

Hawking is dilusional. Our time on this planet needs to end soon anyways.

Hawking's fears are more or less a fantasy of mine. Re-create the pioneering of Columbus.

@CK - Nothing new there. *Points to earth people*



edit:

wtf, 4 billion years is way too long of a wait.

4 billion years is normal, we are talking about stars.

our time doesn't need to end on this planet any time soon. achieve fusion and live forever!!

Ah I can just imagine.

Just wait in 4 billion years. I'm sure the earth would be too toxic to live on by then due to oil infested waters, overproduction of plastic, O3 deterioration, and nuclear experiments. Important/Rich people would have been living in Wall-E like shuttles for the past 3.999 billion years.

pandora was designed with titan in mind! good call!

So what would methane-based life look like? I mean, if they found something more complex than one-celled organisms.

Bugs?

....flying jellyfish?

flying spaghetti monsters?

 

[Mr.Freeman]

Years from now, first contact would look like this.

 

[StinkomanFan]

Wait, anyone else remember that Monolith in 2001 that took the first person to reach Saturn (Dave in that case) and trapped/rebirthed him?

 

[Mr.Freeman]

That was Jupiter.

Close enough, though.

 

[Fuelbi]

Years from now, first contact would look like this.

Put peter griffin instead of that guy, and then we'll talk