Clues of Life on Enceladus

[ysabetwordsmith]

NASA scientists find evidence of ‘key ingredient for life’ on one of Saturn’s moons

A new study spearheaded by NASA scientists discovered that there is “evidence of a key ingredient for life” on one of Saturn’s moons — meaning that the moon likely meets the basic requirements for habitability.

The findings were published Thursday in the Nature Astronomy journal using data researchers collected from NASA’s Cassini mission. The researchers ultimately found that there is “strong confirmation” that hydrogen cyanide was present on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.


I really want to explore the possibly-life-bearing moons in the solar system.

Comments

Yes, I *know*, but it just sounds so wrong!

[(Anonymous)]

"key ingredient in life" found

me (turn of -not the last- century detective stories nerd):
"Oh cool!"

said ingredient=hydrogen cyanide

me (when you say "ingredient". . . . what exactly did you mean?): "Um."

Re: Yes, I *know*, but it just sounds so wrong!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Well, I'm a terraformer and a gengineer. When I hear "ingredient of life" I think the atomic building blocks (e.g. carbon, oxygen) or the biochemical building blocks (e.g. simple protein chains, amino acids). Hydrogen cyanide was not on my radar, but was interesting to read about.

I'm fascinated by how life can develop from non-life. It's a syncretic function -- order spontaneously arising from disorder when the conditions are just right.

I'm also really interested in life around the universe. Since I have ulterior knowledge, I know that in most universes the majority of life is approximate to algae or microbes, with occasional forays into more complex things like hydras or tardigrades. With an ocean, you tend to get some form of plankton. And so on. It's not exciting to most folks, and people often think that life out there will be "aliens." Me, I'd be excited by algae and super hyped over a jellyfish. Yes, I'm weird. Most planetary explorers are nerds.

[see_also_friend]

I recall we were discussing the possibilities of a planetary 'cultural ecosystem' at one point. It occurs to me that making such a setting a gas giant moon could allow for an amazing amount of biodiversity from several different worlds, which would in turn make for some utterly fascinating problems and problem-solving.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

You can get a really great setup if you have several lifebearing moons around the same planet. It's a lot easier to reach from one to another that way.

Re: Yes ...

[see_also_friend]

I'd suggest several moons, of several different 'types' of celestial body. I.e. ice world, a fire world, a 'toxic sludge' world, temperate earthish world, etc. (It might also be possible to have multipoles of one type, i.e. the two ice worlds and the polar/mountaintop cultures* of the earthish world form a tight cohort in comparison to the fireworld.) Also, have some sort of (very alien) life in the gas giant, as well.

*...and, obligatory Skywalker pun, for mountaineering space emissaries.

Now, for each of these planets, avert both the Single-Biome Planet and Planet of Hats trope. Even on an ice world, there would be more than one ecosystem, and on any given planet there should be more than one culture (with very rare exceptions such as recent colonization.)

If possible, also try to come up with different tech mases, and realistic limitations of those tech bases. What is acceptable (or not) for practical reasons, like melting in a foreign atmosphere? WHat is acceptable or not for cultural reasons? What is most efficient for whatever purpose it is being used for? What purposes do we need alien tech for anyway?

Also, having tons of satellites means that the 'planetary shooting gallery' acts as a sort of natural defense or minefiled against any strangers approaching without invitation.

Essentially one could weave a very rich tapestry of stuff to play around in, and if done right it would be fairly unique.

Now, if the purpose of the stories are to teach humans how to evolve to the next stage of a global culture, I would suggest at least one plotline of human colonists/refugees/explorers arriving and being incorporated into the Planetary Cultural Web. It is easier for humans to understand a human perspective than an alien's, and it is also easier for a human to empathize with other humans.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I'd suggest several moons, of several different 'types' of celestial body. I.e. ice world, a fire world, a 'toxic sludge' world, temperate earthish world, etc. (It might also be possible to have multipoles of one type, i.e. the two ice worlds and the polar/mountaintop cultures* of the earthish world form a tight cohort in comparison to the fireworld.) <<

Good start.

>> Also, have some sort of (very alien) life in the gas giant, as well.<<

Usually what happens is the atmosphere is a soup of tiny organisms that get flung off into space, hence peppering the nearby moons. Rarely you get a more complex ecosystem in midair.

>> Now, for each of these planets, avert both the Single-Biome Planet and Planet of Hats trope. Even on an ice world, there would be more than one ecosystem, and on any given planet there should be more than one culture (with very rare exceptions such as recent colonization.)<<

Easy. Here on Earth we have the land (humans, other apes, elephants, etc.) and water (cetaceans, cephalopods) division. With an ice world, it's surface/ocean. With a lava world, it's crust/lava. And so on.

>> If possible, also try to come up with different tech mases, and realistic limitations of those tech bases. What is acceptable (or not) for practical reasons, like melting in a foreign atmosphere? WHat is acceptable or not for cultural reasons? What is most efficient for whatever purpose it is being used for? What purposes do we need alien tech for anyway? <<

All good, and you need a different tech base anyway because the chemistry and physics are so different on each world. Metal here, ceramic there, ice IV over yonder.

>>Also, having tons of satellites means that the 'planetary shooting gallery' acts as a sort of natural defense or minefiled against any strangers approaching without invitation.<<

No shit.

To some extent, moons will "sweep" their own orbit, but in a cluttered gas giant system, it gets messed up pretty quick.

>>Essentially one could weave a very rich tapestry of stuff to play around in, and if done right it would be fairly unique.<<

I'll have to watch for this as a worldbuilding scenario.

>> Now, if the purpose of the stories are to teach humans how to evolve to the next stage of a global culture, I would suggest at least one plotline of human colonists/refugees/explorers arriving and being incorporated into the Planetary Cultural Web. It is easier for humans to understand a human perspective than an alien's, and it is also easier for a human to empathize with other humans.<<

True.

But I'd have more fun cooking up a dozen or so aliens.

Re: Yes ...

[see_also_friend]

>>Good start.<<

There are likely others I haven't thought of.

>>Usually what happens is the atmosphere is a soup of tiny organisms that get flung off into space, hence peppering the nearby moons.<<

Thread from Dragonriders of Pern.

>>Rarely you get a more complex ecosystem in midair.<<

I'd want to do this. I want my leviathan sky mega-mega fauna, and all the awesome weirdness of an aerobiosphere:

[See end section]
https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vida_alien/xenology/11.0.htm

>>With an ice world, it's surface/ocean. With a lava world, it's crust/lava. And so on.<<

Not just a binary, tho. Oceans have coral reefs, deep sea trenches, vast emptiness traversed by currents, globefaring migrants, very life rich coastal areas, and more, _not_ just 'water and stuff in the water's

A fire world... different sections of crust and different sections of lava, but also atmosphere and sulfur pools and vent colonies.

Not one, or even two sections, total but fractal splitting if lifespace.

>>Metal here, ceramic there, ice IV over yonder.<<

I don't have the chemistry or engineering skills to work all that out myself, hence why I think it would be a better group worldbuild than a solo hobby.

>>To some extent, moons will "sweep" their own orbit, but in a cluttered gas giant system, it gets messed up pretty quick.<<

Imagine figuring out space territories and responsibilities like way Eathlings figure out fishing and waste dump stuff for the ocean. ("Stop leaving dead people here! I'm trying to harvest asteroids, and you're making the place a crash hazard, dammit!")

>>I'll have to watch for this as a worldbuilding scenario.<<

It could be fun to do as a Real Life project. There are certainly enough smart people around here to come up with plausible 'Sacred Hospitality despite our atmosphere trying to eat the guests,' and similar weirdness, and I'm sure I've heard you discuss group worldbuilding projects before (Torn World?).

>>But I'd have more fun cooking up a dozen or so aliens.<<

Well, I want the dozen-or-more aliens, too.

I just figure it's easier to explore the, with a readerlike Everyman character, at least until the readers are used to the worldbuilding.

Plus (if a teaching-tale) it is a good illustration of the 101-level integration skills folks might (hopefully) develop.