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Titan: Nasa scientists discover evidence 'that alien life exists on Saturn's moon'

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DarkKyo

Member
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...e-that-alien-life-exists-on-Saturns-moon.html
telegraph.co.uk said:
Researchers at the space agency believe they have discovered vital clues that appeared to indicate that primitive aliens could be living on the planet.

Data from Nasa's Cassini probe has analysed the complex chemistry on the surface of Titan, which experts say is the only moon around the planet to have a dense atmosphere.

They have discovered that life forms have been breathing in the planet’s atmosphere and also feeding on its surface’s fuel.

Astronomers claim the moon is generally too cold to support even liquid water on its surface.

The research has been detailed in two separate studies.

The first paper, in the journal Icarus, shows that hydrogen gas flowing throughout the planet’s atmosphere disappeared at the surface. This suggested that alien forms could in fact breathe.

The second paper, in the Journal of Geophysical Research, concluded that there was lack of the chemical on the surface.

Scientists were then led to believe it had been possibly consumed by life.

Researchers had expected sunlight interacting with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce acetylene gas. But the Cassini probe did not detect any such gas.

Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at Nasa Ames Research Centre, at Moffett Field, California who led the research, said: “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.

"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.”

Professor John Zarnecki, of the Open University, added: “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.”

They warned, however, that there could be other explanations for the findings.

But taken together, they two indicate two important conditions necessary for methane-based life to exist.

Wow! I mean... it is not a true confirmation of any sort, but I guess they are pretty sure about it.
 
"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.”

Damn that is just so exciting.

Ed: upon reflection that sounds totes sarcastic, =/
 

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
Awesome!

Hopefully it's true.. and they don't bring it back to turn us into zombies/kill us.
 

GDGF

Soothsayer
Shuttle-view.jpg
 

Subitai

Member
NightBlade88 said:
Mass Effect aliens or bust
That would be too awesome! Get ready for the first contact war all!

Jocchan said:
I for one welcome our new Titan overlords.
In this case, I think it is more, at least for now, they for all will have to accept their new Earth resource hungry overlords.

quaritch_288x288.jpg
 

Escape Goat

Member
It just needs heat and warmth to kick-start the process.

“In four billion years’ time, it could be paradise on Titan.”

so nothing really to get excited about for another 4 billion years?
 

East Lake

Member
Wallach said:
Hell yeah. Right in our own solar system, that would be incredible.
I know right? I hope this is confirmed, if alien life is on Titan it's out there everywhere else in huge numbers, which was suspected but still...
 
Extremely exciting news. I hope there does turn out to be life on the moon, I can only imagine how much stuff we can learn by taking a sample of the microbial life that may dwell there. This is why space exploration is very important. Once again I hope that the scientists aren't getting too excited and just jumping the gun, because I want there to be life on another planet that we can obtain in the near future.
 
joseph1594 said:
Extremely exciting news. I hope there does turn out to be life on the moon, I can only imagine how much stuff we can learn by taking a sample of the microbial life that may dwell there. This is why space exploration is very important. Once again I hope that the scientists aren't getting too excited and just jumping the gun, because I want there to be life on another planet that we can obtain in the near future.
Agreed. Also, I love the fact that they think these organisms breathe hydrogen. It blows the whole "sweet spot" argument for life on Earth out of the water. This is somewhat based on faith here, but I believe life will naturally form just about anywhere.
 

gdt

Member
They seem to be jumping the gun a bit....




For some reason, I'm reminded of the ending to Foundation and Earth.
 
""They warned, however, that there could be other explanations for the findings.""

Yeah, I think we shouldn't be too excited yet.
 

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
I never understood why we assume that life elsewhere in the universe needs oxygen and water just because we do. I mean of course we have to just go on what we know...but still...
 

Sibylus

Banned
Science! *kleinerinrocketbathtub.jpg*

Although yeah, let's not get too excited.

Tangent: Imagine if we went to war with creatures that evolved on Titan. Being that its possible they breathe hydrogen, maybe they would have a culture without use of fire or combustion technology. If they were attacking in advanced spacecraft, all we would have to do to compensate for that disadvantage would be to puncture the hulls with a missile or something incendiary. Burn 'em out as if they were a fleet of Hindenburgs.
 

xelios

Universal Access can be found under System Preferences
Bob Loblaw said:
Big whoop. It's only logical there's life outside of earth. We're all part of the same universe. Earth isn't special.


We haven't found that part of the bible yet.
 
It's been about a year and a half since their announcement and nobody has come up with a satisfying explanation for their presence (at least as far as I'm aware), but the scientific community is nowhere close to ready to call that conclusive evidence for life.
Year and a half? Wow, news travels fast, huh? I guess it had some sort of declassification or something.
 

Stat Flow

He gonna cry in the car
Bob Loblaw said:
Big whoop. It's only logical there's life outside of earth. We're all part of the same universe. Earth isn't special.

Pretty much, but this is still cool that its [relatively] close to us.
 

gdt

Member
Nothing in the article says anything about real evidence, to the best of my understanding.

More like there's a lack of a certain chemical at the surface, and it could be aliens. But it could also be a number of other things.

That's like saying the sun disappears at night...maybe it blows up.

There could be a bunch of explanations, seems they're jumping to conclusions.

Maybe I'm just reading it wrong or something...
 
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