NASA scientists claim they have spotted an extraordinary molecule in Titan's atmosphere, the largest moon of Saturn, using a massive radio telescope in Chile.
Cyclopropenylidene, or C3H2, is the molecule in question. It's an exciting finding because identical molecules shape sections of DNA and RNA nucleobases, structures that bear the genetic code of life. Still, the researchers were able to find out that the detection would not imply that Titan is proof of life.
"When I realized I was looking at cyclopropenylidene, my first thought was, 'Well, this is really unexpected,'" research lead Conor Nixon, a planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement.
Previously, scientists found the unusual molecule between star systems in gas clouds. NASA claims these regions are too cold and barren to create thrilling chemical reactions.
But unlike these regions, a vast range of chemical processes exist in Titan 's atmosphere. Nixon and his colleagues believed that they were likely to discover evidence of cyclopropenylidene when they were aiming at the upper layer of the atmosphere of the moon, where C3H2 has fewer gases and molecules to deal.
Earlier this month, Nixon and his team reported the same observations in the Astronomical Journal.
Titan's "Colorful" Life
However, Titan's environment seems to be full of answers. One of the many explanations NASA needs to use a beefy octocopter drone named Dragonfly to study the planet.
Nixon explained Titan's uniqueness proved itself as a treasure trove of new molecules.
In our solar system, Titan's atmosphere may mimic Earth's even more than other moons. It also has rivers, reservoirs, and a salty water subsurface ocean. However, it is still a reasonably inhospitable place for life as we know it. Its nitrogen-heavy atmosphere is four times thicker than that of the planet, with a significantly lighter gravity than Earth's Moon.
That has not stopped scientists from exploring it for signs of existence, especially provided that there is still a trace of methane in the atmosphere, which can cause a whole host of interesting chemical reactions.
Is Titan Habitable?
Rosaly Lopes, senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), who's an expert on the matter but wasn't involved in the research, said experts are trying to figure out if Titan is habitable for humans.
Lopes said scientists want to know what compounds from the atmosphere get to Titan's surface and whether that material can get through the ice crust to the ocean below. Experts believe Saturn's moon is where the habitable conditions are.
There is also something to be known regarding the climate of the enigmatic Earth. Currently, we are yet to find out how C3H2 in the environment deals with other gases.
"We'll be looking for bigger molecules than C3H2 [on Titan], but we need to know what's happening in the atmosphere to understand the chemical reactions that lead complex organic molecules to form and rain down to the surface," said Melissa Trainer, a NASA Goddard astrobiologist, who was also not involved in the study.
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