The search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system has become even more exciting. Among them, Dr. from the Southwest Research Institute. A team of scientists, including Christopher Gline, has discovered new evidence that the subterranean ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus contains an important building block for life. Using data from NASA’s Cassini mission, the team directly detected phosphorus in the form of phosphate originating from the moon’s ice-covered global ocean. Cassini has studied Saturn and its system of rings and moons for more than 13 years.

“We used geochemical modeling to predict that in 2020 (published 2022), phosphorus should be abundant in Enceladus’ ocean,” said Glein, a leading expert on extraterrestrial oceanography. He is the co-author of a journal article. Natureexplains this study. “We have now found large amounts of phosphorus in samples of hairy ice ejecting from the subterranean ocean.”

The Cassini spacecraft discovered Enceladus’ subsurface liquid water and analyzed samples in the cloud of ice grains and gas escaping into space through cracks in the moon’s icy surface. Analysis of the class of salt-rich ice grains by Cassini’s space dust analyzer revealed the presence of sodium phosphates. Along with laboratory analog experiments, the team’s observations show that phosphorus can easily be found in the ocean of Enceladus in the form of phosphate.

Phosphorus in the form of phosphate is vital for all living things on earth. It is essential for the formation of DNA and RNA, energy-carrying molecules, cell membranes, bones and teeth, and even the marine microbiome of plankton in humans and animals. Life as we know it is not possible without phosphates.

“We found that phosphate concentrations in plume-forming lunar ocean waters are at least 100 times higher than in Earth’s oceans,” said Glein. “Using a model to predict the presence of phosphates is one thing, but finding evidence that phosphates actually exist is incredibly exciting. This is a stunning result for astrobiology and a big step forward in the search for life beyond Earth.”

One of the most remarkable discoveries in planetary science in the last 25 years is the prevalence of worlds with oceans beneath the surface ice sheet in our solar system. Such worlds include the icy moons of giant planets such as Europa, Titan, and Enceladus, as well as more distant objects such as Pluto.

Worlds with surface oceans, such as Earth, must be within a narrow range of distances from their host stars to maintain temperatures that favor surface liquid water. However, inland ocean worlds can form at much greater distances, greatly increasing the number of habitable worlds likely to exist in the galaxy.

“Geochemical experiments and simulations show that such high phosphate concentrations are the result of increased solubility of the phosphate mineral on Enceladus and possibly other icy oceanic worlds beyond Jupiter in the Solar System,” said Glein. “With this finding, it is now known that the ocean of Enceladus meets the requirement that is generally considered to be the strictest for life. The next step is clear – we need to return to Enceladus to see if there is actually habitation in a living ocean.” Source