Scientists have found clues possibly pointing to primordial life on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons and the second largest moon in the Solar System.
According to analyses of the data sent back by the US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Cassini probe, which is currently exploring the distant moon, hydrogen gas which densely covers the planetoid’s atmosphere gradually disappears towards the surface. According to a paper published in the Icarus journal, this suggests that life forms might exist on Titan’s surface that can breathe.
Another paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research confirmed that there is less hydrogen on the surface than in the atmosphere.
“We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,” said Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at NASA Ames Research Centre at Moffett Field, California.
"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,” he said.
However, scientists suggest that should life exist on Titan, they would be vastly different from life on Earth.
According to Techtree.com India, “The moon is known to contain lakes of methane that range from a few kilometres wide to ones that ...measure 100s of kilometres across.” This suggests that any life found on Titan might be methane-based instead of water-based.
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,” he added.
/Fidelis Angela Tan
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