Comments on: Electrical Activity on Titan Confirmed: The Spark for Life?

By: brad

brad — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:58:33 +0000

If there liquid water on titan then that means that there could be life on it in the future.

SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Idiotindisguise

Idiotindisguise — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:09:14 +0000

@ Eric Near Buffalo
We need to find forms of life that are similar to ours so we can see them and study them. Remember , we depend heavily on our 5 senses , and who knows how many forms of "senses" are in the whole universe. With so many different enviroments , there must be some very different forms of "life" in our universe (or universes), and what use there is to try and find them if we cant see them.
Btw sry for my english

By: Watson Mygoodman

Watson Mygoodman — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:53:35 +0000

If they do discover life, we need to start producing a plan to eradicate that life. Any threat to the human race, whether local or alien, must be dealt with quickly and effectively if we are to survive as a space faring species.

By: btw

btw — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:29:29 +0000

Titan may or may not have native dna, but it and Mars both have the resources that can sustain current human life. We must get off of this rock.

By: TD

TD — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:50:25 +0000

And I'm still for thoroughly exploring Mars first – I probably won't live long enough to see a serious effort be made to design, build, launch, and land a functional device on Europa to drill through the ice and reach the liquid water. And then, if I do, my blood pressure will shoot up and I'll have a heart attack when NASA announces they discovered water – something we know now, right?

By: TD

TD — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:43:16 +0000

Frank Glover – thanks for the clarification. I probably misinterpreted the article when it said: "Titan experiences electrical activity in its atmosphere. Now Titan has all the necessary components for life; it has an atmosphere with electrical activity, increasing the opportunity for prebiotic organic compounds to form, thus increasing the possibility for life to evolve."

So basically any energy source is sufficient – I didn't know that. Thanks.

By: Chewbacca's Dad

Chewbacca's Dad — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:17:10 +0000

"This is what makes Titan special, it has a thick atmosphere, something that is not observed on any other natural satellite in the Solar System."

Is this in contrast to the "non-natural satellites" with thick atmospheres in our solar system? Like the one built by the Dark Lord of the Sith, His Badassity, Darth Vader?

Does it count if the atmosphere is contained within the structure of the satellite?

I'm pretty sure the Death Star has electrical activity.

By: Tyler Durden

Tyler Durden — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:57:48 +0000

The storms are caused by the Titans' experiments with transmitting energy via Tesla towers.

By: Al Hall

Al Hall — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:20:50 +0000

If I were running the show I would be setting my sights on Europa. Manned missions to Mars (for the time being) and robotic missions to Europa. If we really want to find signs of life in our system, I think that would be the place to look. And it should be a top priority if we are really serious about it. "Follow the water" as they say. This time, I tend to agree. Is there water on Mars? Yep, appears to be some but it all seems to be frozen. May find signs of past life, or the necessary minimal components to sustain life for future colonization…. Maybe.. Is there water on Titan? Hmm…… Maybe not.. Is there water on Europa? Yep, appears to be a vast abundance of it.. Possibly even an ocean of liquid (H2O) under the surface. It is one thing to explore worlds to learn about them, but it is another if our priority is to look for signs of life. In our solar system, I am convinced that Europa is the place to look. Then Callisto and Ganymede…
Titan: Interesting to study, to learn about, but…well…
I think that if we ever do find actual (living) life in our system, we will find it on Europa. If we are lucky enough to find life in our system.. Could some day find it on a comet, I suppose.. Anyway, Europa is what we need to focus on if our priority is to find signs of life… And we would have a mission well underway right now…… if I was running the show..

By: Eric Near Buffalo

Eric Near Buffalo — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:30:22 +0000

Can we escape the box of looking for carbon based life or assuming that if there's life it can only be carbon based? There's nothing that says all life in the universe will be carbon based, but there's also nothing that says it won't be. My thing is, what if there's an outside chance that life on Titan is based on an element that we would never think it could be? What if there's some nanomicrobial life forms on Mars that we can't even see without having maybe an electron microscope and they are composed of an element that would be looked at in a very pedestrian manner?

By: Jon Hanford

Jon Hanford — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:59:43 +0000

I think Aodhhan brings up a good point, namely the radiation field generated by Saturn. Both Cassini & Galileo ran the risk of frying their electronics if immersed in Saturn's or Jupiter's high energy radiation belts, so this is another serious variable to be considered with concern to Titan. Does anyone know where Titan's orbit lies in relation to Saturn's radiation belts?

By: Frank Glover

Frank Glover — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:49:22 +0000

"If electric sparks in an atmosphere are thought to be requirements for life, why are people so hyped on finding life in the oceans of Europa? There's no lightning there or on the surface above the ice."

First, Europa may well have plenty of liquid water below its icy surface, and that would mean a biochemestry that's far less speculative than something that would have to start in the methane/ethane lakes of Titan.

Second, the Miller-Urey experiments have been reproduced, starting with not only electrical discharges, but heat, ultraviolet exposure and even simple mechanical sloshing of the water and starting elements.

Any of thos energetic events must have happened many times in Europa's history, espically from occasional ice-penetrating meteors and subatomic particles from the Jovian VanAllen belts in which Europa orbits. Not to mention the popssibility of something like Earth's undersea 'black smoker' geothermal vents whose heat would come from the same tidal flexing of the moon by Jupiter that would keep it warm enough for liquid water to begin with (and makes Io positively volcanic).

By: Aodhhan

Aodhhan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:04:06 +0000

You need a consistant and constant energy source. Something which is there breifly will not cut it. Lightning has the energy to create carbon, but not the consistancy or longevity to be considered a great energy source for the sustainment of life. Atmosphere and distance keeps the Sun from being a good source.

Something else not mentioned is protection from radiation. Another problematic source for anything on the surface or near it; a hazard which comes from being near a large planet.
I would be interested in really watching the surface a bit more; see what affect Saturn's gravity has on the surface elements.

By: Skunk

Skunk — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:55:31 +0000

This should increase the interest in a new, more robust science mission to Titan. With the time it takes to plan, implement, and get there…they need to get busy.
C'mon world lets step up the pace.

It may benefit humanity if we all work together on these science/discovery missions.

By: R2K

R2K — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:43:11 +0000

Next discovery: life.

By: Jon Hanford

Jon Hanford — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:18:29 +0000

Lazlo mentions that Titan contains only small amounts of carbon. Atmospheric composition of Titan is 95% nitrogen, but 5% methane with traces of other hydrocarbons. The newly discovered lake are liquid ethane. Methane (CH3) & ethane(C2H5) are major sources of carbon. The press release states that at Titan's surface temperature of -300F, nitrogen, methane & ethane could exist in both liquid & gaseous forms. Photodissociation & now lightning would appear to be natural energy sources to manipulate these chemical compounds into myriad hydrocarbons & more complex molecules, in response to Aodhhan's post concerning energy sources. Also, tidal heating of Titan's interior( think of Io's volcanoes from tidal heating by Jupiter) may also supply another source of energy to help reactions along. It just seems like a lot of ingredients for complex chemistry to occur exist on Titan.

By: Aodhhan

Aodhhan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:35:57 +0000

Laszlo brings up huge points. The basic problem comes down to an energy source of fuel. Something can begin, but without food it isn't going to fully develop. On earth we had the Sun in close proximity to provide the energy and fuel source as well as a molten core which likes to vent towards the surface. On Titan the cold temperatures may be defeating any high molecular motivation, and the chances for life developing to the single cell level could be far away for Titan. Unless we can find some sort of energy source (ie volcano) within the moon itself.
However, the abundance of carbon based molecules on Titan and verification of water on Mars is definitely a step in the right direction towards finding life in other areas of the cosmos.

By: TD

TD — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:27:53 +0000

If electric sparks in an atmosphere are thought to be requirements for life, why are people so hyped on finding life in the oceans of Europa? There's no lightning there or on the surface above the ice.

The answer, I think, is that some version of the spores-thru-space theory must be true….but scientists are very cautious about mentioning "panspermia". The term is still heavily ridiculed and the connection to Eurpoa is never explicitly made. I wonder how long it will be before the next age of enlightenment.

By: LLDIAZ

LLDIAZ — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:25:47 +0000

a dreezing frizzle?
did you mean a freezing drizzle….

By: LLDIAZ

LLDIAZ — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:23:13 +0000

I forget the name of it but there was a sat. that was turned around, but the earth looked like a little speck you could'nt even tell what you were lookin at. but it was cool !!!

By: Laszlo Borbely

Laszlo Borbely — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:08:42 +0000

First, there may not BE a lot of carbon on Titan, but possibly a 'dreezing frizzle' siphoned off Saturn. Carbon, though abundant in space, isn't on many planets in quantity, even our planet has dearth of carbon- compared to other elements. The satellite images represent smooth reflections of surface alkanes, could be a 'pud muddle' instead of abundant lake. "Reflections of…..the way life used to be?"

By: david

david — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:06:26 +0000

What I find exciting about this is not so much the surface conditions, but the subsurface. Radar images of Titan showed that over a period of a few years, the crust has moved, up to 19 miles. There hasn't been much science done on why that might be, but one hypothesis had a decoupled frozen water crust "sliding" over a liquid ocean. So if you have life precursors above, and a habitable environment below, the possibility for life on Titan becomes a little better.

By: Al Hall

Al Hall — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:06:07 +0000

Brett – I know this isn't what you were asking for, but I think it is kinda cool so will share with those who haven't seen it. –

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/images/flyby_images/mdis_depart_anot.mpeg

By: Brett

Brett — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:51:41 +0000

Has anyone ever had the idea of sending a probe into deep space, and then using it to look at the Earth from great distances? Doing that, you could figure out what types of things you need to look for to indicate life and possibly intelligent life. From that distance, seeing cities would be impossible, but seeing an increase in CO2 over 20years might be possible and telling. Also resolving continents is impossible, but the spectral anaylsis that would give large quantities of H, O, C, N and Si would be telling. As well as the normal observations of speed, mass, spin, and temperature. If we know exactly what we need to look for, it could help us find life faster.

By: NoAstronomer

NoAstronomer — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:48:17 +0000

I'll just throw this thought out there:

Doesn't the existence of large quantities of liquid ethane on Titan *proves* that carbon-based life does not exist there?

Because if there were such organisms on Titan they would have consumed the ethane.