2023-11-22 14:15:36
Surface of Enceladus – NASA JPL
MADRID, 22 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
A study using conditions similar to those on the surface of Enceladus finds that organic molecules, such as amino acids, They can concentrate on salt-rich ice particles.
Scientists, supported by NASA, have provided new information about the behavior of organic molecules frozen in brine – for example, salt water – in conditions similar to those on the surface of the icy moon of Saturn.
The results will help astrobiologists better understand the potential habitability of Enceladus’s subsurface ocean and could inform future missions designed to search for signs of life in frozen ocean worlds.
Enceladus is one of the most important places in the Solar System for astrobiology research. In 2005, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft observed a plume of material gushing from cracks in the surface near the Moon’s south pole. Since then, astrobiologists have been studying the composition and behavior of this plume to gain insight into the composition and conditions of Enceladus’ ocean. that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Cassini data have shown that there are salts and organic matter within the frozen water particles ejected in the plume. Organic matter refers to any compound containing carbon and hydrogen. This includes a wide range of molecules, many of which are essential in living cells. The new study focuses on two of those molecules, the amino acids glycine and aspartic acid.
The team of scientists conducted a study, the first of its kind, on how these molecules behave when quickly frozen in brine. The results provide specific information about how molecules are organized in relation to salt minerals within the ice matrix. Ultimately, the findings indicate that Salt-rich ice particles can cause organic molecules to concentrate. This could be useful when searching for specific organic molecules that serve as biosignatures for life.
FOLLOW THE WATER… AND THE SALTS
“While not all organic molecules are biosignatures, understanding the types and distributions of these molecules is important to evaluate the habitability of an environment, that is, whether that place has suitable conditions for life,” he explains. it’s a statement Morgan Cable of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-author of the study. “NASA has historically been operating under the mantra of ‘follow the water’ when it comes to the search for life; What our study shows is that we may want to add “follow the salts too.”
The study was published in The Planetary Science Journal.
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