large, carbon-rich organic molecules are ejected from cracks in the icy surface of Saturn’s moon

Minusorange

Minusorange

Minusorange

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https://www.swri.org/press-release/evidence-complex-organic-molecules-enceladus

We are, yet again, blown away by Enceladus. Previously we’d only identified the simplest organic molecules containing a few carbon atoms, but even that was very intriguing,” said SwRI’s Dr. Christopher Glein, a space scientist specializing in extraterrestrial chemical oceanography. He is coauthor of a paper in Nature outlining this discovery. “Now we’ve found organic molecules with masses above 200 atomic mass units. That’s over ten times heavier than methane. With complex organic molecules emanating from its liquid water ocean, this moon is the only body besides Earth known to simultaneously satisfy all of the basic requirements for life as we know it
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More signs of life, first the news about Mars https://www.popularmechanics.com/sp...er-discovers-organic-building-blocks-on-mars/ showing organic building blocks for life, now we find more of the same from one of Saturn's Moons.

It makes you wonder how many other large bodies in our solar system have the building blocks of life and if it's so common in our own solar system then it stands to reason it's common through out the universe
 
Minusorange said:
It makes you wonder how many other large bodies in our solar system have the building blocks of life and if it's so common in our own solar system then it stands to reason it's common through out the universe
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Not necessarily - increasingly it is thought that Phosphorus plays a critical role - 5 out of the 6 elements that underpin almost anything other than the most simple forms of organic life are plentiful throughout our galaxy and that is thought to be the case in most of the universe but recent studies have observed much lower distributions of reactive Phosphorus compounds than originally thought and infact it might be scarce over large parts of the universe.
 
The is life everywhere in the universe, you look at an ocean from above you see nothing. Enter the ocean and its everywhere.

Life is always going to make foot step so to say, its all around us.
 
Rroff said:
Not necessarily - increasingly it is thought that Phosphorus plays a critical role - 5 out of the 6 elements that underpin almost anything other than the most simple forms of organic life are plentiful throughout our galaxy and that is thought to be the case in most of the universe but recent studies have observed much lower distributions of reactive Phosphorus compounds than originally thought and infact it might be scarce over large parts of the universe.
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That recent study involved an observation of 2 supernovas to measure the phosphor content, compared to the size of the universe (only counting observable) 2 is a really small sample size especially when only 1 of the 2 had low amounts of phosphor and they didn't say life was impossible just that it would struggle compared to phosphor rich situations
 
Minusorange said:
That recent study involved an observation of 2 supernovas to measure the phosphor content, compared to the size of the universe (only counting observable) 2 is a really small sample size especially when only 1 of the 2 had low amounts of phosphor and they didn't say life was impossible just that it would struggle compared to phosphor rich situations
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Those are the two that got the ball rolling on that particular topic and there isn't a solid picture yet but increasingly it appears to be a significant factor and that Phosphorus rich areas are probably not common.
 
That's interesting @Rroff , is there any hypothesis why Phosphorus seems uncommon? as at element 15 I would have thought it's production was just as common in stars as everything else around it and up to no.26 - iron.
 
Freakbro said:
That's interesting @Rroff , is there any hypothesis why Phosphorus seems uncommon? as at element 15 I would have thought it's production was just as common in stars as everything else around it and up to no.26 - iron.
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Not sure - its still not confirmed either but its increasingly believed that nominal production levels are much lower than anticipated with a few areas with much higher levels than thought such as around where Earth is.
 
Rroff said:
Those are the two that got the ball rolling on that particular topic and there isn't a solid picture yet but increasingly it appears to be a significant factor and that Phosphorus rich areas are probably not common.
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I can't find any info other than those 2 studies in April unless they're in peer reviewed papers which I don't have access to ?

The latest thing relating to Phosphorous and the Universe is this article

https://www.news.com.au/technology/.../news-story/1b01153381d2a2600012fd2858cf7704/

Phosphorus was also found on 67P. And this is a vital ingredient of RNA and DNA. And the concentrations it was found in are ten times higher than occur elsewhere in the solar system, and are “consistent with biological processes and concentration mechanisms,” he says.

And we now know comets can cross the interstellar voids.

“We thought comet and asteroids travelling between stellar systems would be rare because of the distances involved,” Professor Lattanzio says. “But now we have detected an example, in Oumuamua. The fact that we found an example so soon after developing telescopes argues that they must be rather more common than we thought.”
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Where the article seems to suggest that lifes building blocks don't originate on planets but are instead carried into planets via comets/asteroids which ties into the supernova and phosphor link but it doesn't discuss the alleged "lack" of phosphor in the universe and rather suggests that chances of finding life (microbial) are getting higher the more we discover :confused:
 
Minusorange said:
I can't find any info other than those 2 studies in April unless they're in peer reviewed papers which I don't have access to ?
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It is still an ongoing thing - the only information I've had is via a number of YouTubers who are either involved in this kind of stuff themselves or actively part of the relevant communities, etc.

As I said it is increasingly becoming a consideration - it hasn't been confirmed yet.
 
Rroff said:
It is still an ongoing thing - the only information I've had is via a number of YouTubers who are either involved in this kind of stuff themselves or actively part of the relevant communities, etc.

As I said it is increasingly becoming a consideration - it hasn't been confirmed yet.
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Well that's depressing if true :(
 
We force three species an hour in to extinction. We're constantly killing each other. We're wrecking our climate and within decades could cause a cascade effect that could literally take out most life on the planet. Some even think we have already crossed the point of no return. There are plenty of asteroids around that could wipe us out in a single blow. There are dozens of super-volcanoes that could decimate all life. We do little to preserve the life we know about.... yet we care if there is life on other planets? Why? I mean all we have done to life on this planet is **** it, or eat it....usually both. Unless we change our ways lets hope we remain on planet earth! That way at least the damage is limited. God help the Universe if we invent Warp Drive.
Best case we will just go down in the history books as another greedy, selfish generation that took what it wanted while people buried their heads in the sand, worst case there won't be anyone left to hate us.
 
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