Latest news with #ConorNixon
NDTV
7 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Alien Environment On Saturn's Biggest Moon May Support Building Blocks Of Life, Study Suggests
NASA revealed that cell-like compartments, known as vesicles, could form naturally in the lakes of Saturn's moon Titan. The lakes on Saturn's largest moon are filled with liquid hydrocarbons like ethane and methane. These vesicles are vital for the development of protocells, which are simple structures that can support chemical reactions. Titan's environment is different from Earth's as it has extremely low temperatures and a thick atmosphere, containing nitrogen and methane. Scientists believe that it could allow the formation of life forms that are distinct from those on Earth. According to research published on July 10 in the journal International Journal of Astrobiology, the formation of vesicles on Titan is thought to occur through the interaction of amphiphiles, which are molecules that have both "methane-loving" and "methane-avoiding" properties. These molecules can form bilayer structures that resemble cell membranes. "The existence of any vesicles on Titan would demonstrate an increase in order and complexity, which are conditions necessary for the origin of life," Conor Nixon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said in a statement. "We're excited about these new ideas because they can open up new directions in Titan research and may change how we search for life on Titan in the future." Scientists believe that vesicles might form on Titan when methane raindrops splash onto the surface of lakes and seas, creating a mist of droplets coated in amphiphiles. These droplets can then settle back onto the lake and form vesicles. The research could open up new directions in the search for life beyond Earth. If life can form in Titan's hydrocarbon lakes, it might be possible that life exists elsewhere in the universe under different environmental conditions. NASA's mission for the Saturn moon Titan The upcoming Dragonfly rotorcraft is NASA's first mission to Titan. The mission's focus is to explore the surface of the Saturnian moon, study the surface composition, make atmospheric and geophysical measurements, and also characterise its habitability. Titan's lakes and seas are not a destination for Dragonfly.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The precursors of life could form in the lakes of Saturn's moon Titan
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA scientists have found that cell-like compartments called vesicles, needed to form the precursors of living cells, could form in the lakes of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. These lakes and Titan's seas are filled with liquid hydrocarbons like ethane and methane rather than water. And though we know water is a key ingredient of life on Earth, astrobiologists have theorized that Titan's liquid hydrocarbons could allow the molecules needed for life to form, whether that life is similar to what we see on Earth or a very different form of life. This new research suggests a way vesicles could form on Titan based on what we know about its atmosphere and chemistry. The formation of such compartments is a key step on the road to the development of "protocells." "The existence of any vesicles on Titan would demonstrate an increase in order and complexity, which are conditions necessary for the origin of life," Conor Nixon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said in a statement. "We're excited about these new ideas because they can open up new directions in Titan research and may change how we search for life on Titan in the future." The process of creating vesicles begins with molecules called amphiphiles, dual-nature molecules with both water-loving (hydrophilic) and water-repellent (hydrophobic) ends. Under certain conditions, these molecules can self-organize to create vesicles. On Earth, when amphiphiles meet water, they group together to form spheres similar to soap bubbles with the water-loving end facing outwards, protecting the hydrophobic end. If two layers of amphiphiles are together, they can form a bilayer "ball" with a shell of water sandwiched between the two layers of molecules. A structure that resembles a living cell. This process would be very different on Titan due to its environment, one that is radically different than Earth's. Titan isn't just the largest moon in the solar system; it is also the moon with the densest atmosphere. This is primarily because of Titan's cool temperature and its distance from the sun, which prevents its atmosphere from being stripped by the solar wind. From 2004 to 2017, the Cassini spacecraft was able to stare through this substantial atmosphere to discover how the meteorological cycle of Titan has influenced its surface. Though the majority of Titan's atmosphere is composed of nitrogen, its clouds are composed of methane that erodes the surface and river channels as it falls as rain and fills its lakes and seas. When exposed to sunlight, the methane evaporates and rises to the atmosphere again, regenerating Titan's clouds. The activity of methane through Titan's atmosphere allows complex chemistry to happen, particularly when sunlight splits methane molecules, creating fragments that recombine as complex organic molecules. This team theorizes that vesicles might form on Titan when sea-spray droplets are thrown into the atmosphere by methane raindrops landing on the surface of lakes and seas. If the surfaces of Titan's seas are coated with layers of amphiphiles, the sea-spray droplets will be too. That means when those launched droplets fall back to the methane seas, they meet the amphiphile sea-layer and form a bilayer vesicle, enclosing the original droplet. Over time, these vesicles could be dispersed through the lakes and seas, interacting and potentially leading to the creation of protocells. Related Stories: —Saturn's moon Titan may have a 6-mile-thick crust of methane ice — could life be under there? —There's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused —Alien life could exist on Saturn's big moon Titan — but finding it will be tough The discovery is sure to generate excitement for NASA's forthcoming Dragonfly mission, which will set off for Titan in 2028. Arriving in 2034, the nuclear-powered rotocopter craft aims to explore prebiotic chemistry and habitability on the Saturnian moon. Understanding this process as it occurs on Titan, if it is occurring, could shed light on the mystery of how life emerged on Earth. The team's research was published on July 10 in the journal International Journal of Astrobiology.
India Today
16-07-2025
- Science
- India Today
Did Nasa just discover signs of alien life on Saturn's moon Titan?
Nasa scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking study suggesting that cell-like compartments, known as vesicles, could form naturally in the lakes of Saturn's largest moon, finding marks a major step forward in the search for extraterrestrial life, showing that the precursors of living cells may emerge even in environments radically different from is unique in our solar system: it's the only world besides Earth known to have stable liquids on its surface. But unlike Earth, which is awash in water, Titan's lakes and seas are filled with liquid hydrocarbons—primarily methane and For years, scientists have wondered if these alien liquids could give rise to the fundamental molecules required for life, either resembling Earth's life or something entirely novel. Conditions of life could form under Titan's frigid and exotic conditions. (Photo: Nasa) In research published this week in the International Journal of Astrobiology, Nasa outlines how 'vesicles'—tiny bubbles that on Earth act as building blocks for cells—could form under Titan's frigid and exotic of these vesicles is seen as a crucial precursor to the development of protocells, the earliest steps toward the center of this process are amphiphiles, special molecules with two ends: one that loves the surrounding liquid (hydrophilic) and one that repels it (hydrophobic). On Earth, these molecules cluster in water to form spheres with their hydrophobic sides shielded Titan, researchers believe a similar mechanism could occur—not with water, but with methane and ethane. When methane raindrops splash onto the surface of a Titan lake, they kick up a spray of droplets, each coated with amphiphiles. As these droplets fall back and sink, they can merge to form a 'bilayer' vesicle, encapsulating a droplet within a protective shell—a compartment that could support further chemistry and perhaps eventually, life.'The existence of any vesicles on Titan would demonstrate an increase in order and complexity, which are conditions necessary for the origin of life,' said Conor Nixon of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight discovery opens up fresh avenues in astrobiology as Nasa prepares for its upcoming Dragonfly mission to Titan, which aims to further probe the moon's atmosphere, chemistry, and potential for Dragonfly won't examine the lakes up close or directly search for vesicles, the mission will deepen our understanding of Titan's habitability and complex organic research points to the possibility that the foundations of life can assemble themselves under even the most alien conditions in our universe.- Ends
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
James Webb Space Telescope captures ghostly images of clouds on Saturn's largest moon Titan
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The James Webb Space Telescope has peered into the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon Titan, capturing the first evidence of cloud formation in this moon's northern hemisphere. Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system, right behind Jupiter's Ganymede. A team of scientists pointed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at Titan in November of 2022 and July of 2023. With some help from the twin telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory on the dormant Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, the JWST found evidence of cloud convection, the process through which warmer air rises and brings moisture upward to form clouds. Clouds have been seen in Titan's southern hemisphere before, but never in the northern hemisphere, where most of the moon's seas and lakes are found. Titan has lakes and seas of liquid methane, and the moon features dynamic weather patterns just like our own planet does. That makes it unique among all of the other celestial bodies in our cosmic neighborhood, scientists say. "Titan is the only other place in our solar system that has weather like Earth, in the sense that it has clouds and rainfall onto a surface," said Conor Nixon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and lead author of a new study about Titan's weather, in a statement. These new observations of Titan were made during the moon's summer season. NASA's Cassini–Huygens spacecraft studied Titan between 2004 and 2017 and observed cloud convection during late summer months in the southern hemisphere, but this new study is the first to watch this phenomenon during summer in Titan's northern hemisphere. Scientists say the new data could help solve some of the outstanding mysteries about Titan. "Together with ground-based observations, Webb is giving us precious new insights into Titan's atmosphere, that we hope to be able to investigate much closer-up in the future with a possible ESA mission to visit the Saturn system," said the European Space Agency's Thomas Cornet, a co-author of the new study. In addition to watching clouds form in the moon's northern hemisphere, the data gathered by the JWST's observations of Titan also helped identify a "key missing piece" of the moon's chemistry: a new organic molecule known as a methyl radical that has a "free," or unbonded, electron. Because the lakes and seas on Titan are filled with methane, this compound is a key component of many of the moon's chemical processes. Sunlight and electrons from nearby Saturn split methane molecules in Titan's atmosphere, where they then combine with other molecules to make more complex substances. Scientists are thrilled about this discovery of methyl radical in Titan's atmosphere, as it offers a window into these active chemical processes as they occur. "For the first time we can see the chemical cake while it's rising in the oven, instead of just the starting ingredients of flour and sugar, and then the final, iced cake," said astrochemist and study co-author Stefanie Milam of the Goddard Space Flight Center, in a NASA statement. RELATED STORIES: — Surf's up! Liquid methane waves on Saturn moon Titan may erode shores of alien lakes and rivers — There's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused — NASA's Dragonfly nuclear-powered helicopter clears key hurdle ahead of 2028 launch toward huge Saturn moon Titan But the story won't end here, as scientists still want to know more about Titan and its chemistry. While the Cassini-Huygens mission revealed a great deal about the moon, nothing can surpass actually sending a spacecraft onto the moon itself to perform in-situ, or on-location, science. To accomplish this, NASA is planning the ambitious Dragonfly mission, which will send a nuclear-powered octocopter onto the surface of Titan, where it will spend three years "hopping" from location to location and studying the moon's chemistry. Dragonfly is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in 2028, and reach the Titan in 2034, if all goes according to plan. Dragonfly recently passed its Critical Design Review test, meaning it can now move on to being manufactured. The explorer will study Titan's potential habitability, seeking out signs of prebiotic chemistry as well as keeping a robotic eye out for any signs of life. A study of the summer atmosphere of Titan's northern hemisphere has been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Gizmodo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Scientists Track Methane Clouds Wafting Over Titan's Lakes for the First Time
It's the first evidence of cloud convection in the northern hemisphere of Saturn's enigmatic moon. Saturn's most metal moon just got more intriguing. On Titan, clouds of methane unleash a cold, oily rain—very different from the water-based downpours we see on Earth. For the first time, scientists have collected evidence of cloud convection in Titan's northern hemisphere, observing the moon's methane clouds shifting over time above its eerie lakes. By combining data from the Webb space telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, a group of scientists observed Titan's clouds rising to higher altitudes over time. This new discovery marks the first time cloud convection is seen taking place in the moon's northern hemisphere, where most of Titan's lakes and seas of liquid methane are located. The findings are detailed in a study published this week in the journal Nature. 'This enables us to better understand Titan's climate cycle, how the methane clouds may generate rain and replenish methane evaporated from the lakes,' Conor Nixon, research scientist with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and lead author of the study, said in a statement. Titan is the only moon in the solar system to host a substantial atmosphere, but Saturn's largest moon is shrouded with a layer of yellowish smog. To probe different depths in Titan's atmosphere, the scientists used various infrared filters on Webb and Keck to estimate the altitudes of the clouds. The team behind the study observed Titan in November 2022 and July 2023, capturing clouds in the moon's mid and high northern latitudes. Using space and ground-based observations, the scientists observed the clouds as they appeared to move to higher altitudes over a period of days. They were, however, not able to directly see any precipitation occurring. Titan is the only other place in the solar system known to have an Earth-like cycle of liquids, with rain pouring from clouds and flowing across its surface, filling lakes and seas, and evaporating back into the sky, according to NASA. But instead of water, Titan has liquid methane and ethane. The strange moon is of high interest to astronomers as it holds complex organic chemistry despite its frigid temperatures and gaseous bodies of water. Organic molecules are among the building blocks of life on Earth, and studying Titan helps scientists better understand how different lifeforms could evolve under drastically different planetary circumstances. The recent findings also help scientists understand how different worlds evolve over time. 'On Titan, methane is a consumable,' Nixon said. 'It's possible that it is being constantly resupplied and fizzing out of the crust and interior over billions of years. If not, eventually it will all be gone and Titan will become a mostly airless world of dust and dunes.'
