It's Life Jim, but Not as We Know It... - Jason Barnes (SETI Talks)
Δημοσιεύτηκε στις 5 Μαρ 2015
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It's Life Jim, but Not as We Know It: The Prospects of Life in Titan's Seas
The
prerequisites for life are thought to be: (1) a liquid solvent; (2)
chemical building blocks; and (3) an energy source. Life like we have on
the Earth uses water for its solvent and organic molecules for its
building blocks. Hence searches for Earth-like life can focus on
habitable zones around stars where liquid water can be stable on
planetary surfaces.
But is water the only solvent in which life
can exist? Though more exotic solvents (like ammonia, liquid nitrogen,
or supercritical carbon dioxide) may exist in extrasolar systems, the
only surface liquids outside of Earth that we know about today occur on
Saturn's smoggy moon Titan.
Dr Barnes will describe these seas,
their chemistry, and hydrology, with an eye toward whether they could
serve as possible abodes for life. Recent Cassini discoveries show
evaporitic bathtub rings and 'salt' flats around seas, which indicate
that at least some materials do dissolve in the lakes. He will also
discuss new Cassini RADAR evidence for compositional variations between
the seas, and VIMS observations that may show the first sea-surface
waves ever seen outside of Earth.
It's Life Jim, but Not as We Know It: The Prospects of Life in Titan's Seas
The
prerequisites for life are thought to be: (1) a liquid solvent; (2)
chemical building blocks; and (3) an energy source. Life like we have on
the Earth uses water for its solvent and organic molecules for its
building blocks. Hence searches for Earth-like life can focus on
habitable zones around stars where liquid water can be stable on
planetary surfaces.
But is water the only solvent in which life
can exist? Though more exotic solvents (like ammonia, liquid nitrogen,
or supercritical carbon dioxide) may exist in extrasolar systems, the
only surface liquids outside of Earth that we know about today occur on
Saturn's smoggy moon Titan.
Dr Barnes will describe these seas,
their chemistry, and hydrology, with an eye toward whether they could
serve as possible abodes for life. Recent Cassini discoveries show
evaporitic bathtub rings and 'salt' flats around seas, which indicate
that at least some materials do dissolve in the lakes. He will also
discuss new Cassini RADAR evidence for compositional variations between
the seas, and VIMS observations that may show the first sea-surface
waves ever seen outside of Earth.
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