Methane in plume of Saturn's moon Enceladus could be sign of alien life, study suggests

Catastrophe

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Jul 4, 2021
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Nature is literally handing us a cosmic yellow brick road. A dedicated sample return mission to Enceladus, specifically designed to obtain and analyze the samples that will be selected for the return leg of the mission, where a more thoroughly designed research facility will continue the analysis. Landing on Enceladus is not necessary. Back in 1976 the Viking Landers attempted to find life on the surface of Mars by using a gas chromatograph Mass spectrometer system to analyze the chemical composition of the Martian soil. We've come a long way since then. A sample return mission, without the inherent danger of being forced to land on another world in order to accomplish your objective. Is far more likely to succeed. If there is active alien biology occurring right now, beneath the surface of Enceladus, then we have to jump on this golden opportunity right now! The difficulty involved in obtaining a successful outcome for this mission, is child play, compared to the technical choreography that was necessary for the current rover missions on Mars. The odds of success, without being forced to land on Enceladus, is stratospheric! The potential reward is mind blowing!
 
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Plenty of excitement here over this methane gas report at Enceladus. https://phys.org/news/2021-07-methane-plumes-saturn-moon-enceladus.html, "They conclude that Cassini's data are consistent either with microbial hydrothermal vent activity, or with processes that don't involve life forms but are different from the ones known to occur on Earth..."

Here is a report on methane gas at Mars. https://skyandtelescope.org/astrono...kes-step-toward-solving-mars-methane-mystery/

My observation. Methane detected on Mars and Enceladus needs an explanation. Some new models for methane on Enceladus suggest microbes and perhaps life forms different than Earth. Does this hold true for Mars methane too? Did abiogenesis arise on Mars and Enceladus independently and create very different life forms there compared to Earth? It will be interesting to read further studies here on methane at Mars and Enceladus and see if methane points to different life forms on Mars and Enceladus compared to Earth or perhaps the idea of life on these worlds in our solar system is completely wrong and life is not there in the past or today.
 
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Jul 4, 2021
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Plenty of excitement here over this methane gas report at Enceladus. https://phys.org/news/2021-07-methane-plumes-saturn-moon-enceladus.html, "They conclude that Cassini's data are consistent either with microbial hydrothermal vent activity, or with processes that don't involve life forms but are different from the ones known to occur on Earth..."

Here is a report on methane gas at Mars. https://skyandtelescope.org/astrono...kes-step-toward-solving-mars-methane-mystery/

My observation. Methane detected on Mars and Enceladus needs an explanation. Some new models for methane on Enceladus suggest microbes and perhaps life forms different than Earth. Does this hold true for Mars methane too? Did abiogenesis arise on Mars and Enceladus independently and create very different life forms there compared to Earth? It will be interesting to read further studies here on methane at Mars and Enceladus and see if methane points to different life forms on Mars and Enceladus compared to Earth or perhaps the idea of life on these worlds in our solar system is completely wrong and life is not there in the past or today.
Absolutely correct! All we have to go on, with regards to life, is the ongoing evolution of biology here on earth. Since biology appears to be exclusively left-handed, the idea of abiogenesis seems incorrect.
Plenty of excitement here over this methane gas report at Enceladus. https://phys.org/news/2021-07-methane-plumes-saturn-moon-enceladus.html, "They conclude that Cassini's data are consistent either with microbial hydrothermal vent activity, or with processes that don't involve life forms but are different from the ones known to occur on Earth..."

Here is a report on methane gas at Mars. https://skyandtelescope.org/astrono...kes-step-toward-solving-mars-methane-mystery/

My observation. Methane detected on Mars and Enceladus needs an explanation. Some new models for methane on Enceladus suggest microbes and perhaps life forms different than Earth. Does this hold true for Mars methane too? Did abiogenesis arise on Mars and Enceladus independently and create very different life forms there compared to Earth? It will be interesting to read further studies here on methane at Mars and Enceladus and see if methane points to different life forms on Mars and Enceladus compared to Earth or perhaps the idea of life on these worlds in our solar system is completely wrong and life is not there in the past or today.
Incredibly exciting news. If life can indeed be discovered on Enceladus, then the first analysis would be to determine if this life form is carbon based by identifying its DNA signature. The next step, identify whether or not it is left handed. That research will either support biogenesis, or abiogenesis.