Complex chemicals discovered on Enceladus are pushing forward the idea that Saturn’s moon could harbor alien life. Samples collected in Saturn’s ring and just above its moon Enceladus have found signs of a variety of organic molecules that could be among the ingredients needed for life. Enceladus is likely to have more complex organic molecules than previously thought, raising the possibility that chemical reactions exist that produce the building blocks of life. Saturn’s moon Enceladus is one world that could potentially support alien life. Beneath the moon’s icy crust is a vast ocean of liquid water, with jets of ice and steam escaping from it, and there is some evidence of energy sources on the seafloor, similar to hydrothermal vents in Earth’s oceans. Beneath the moon’s icy crust is a vast ocean of liquid water, with jets of ice and steam spurting out, and there is some evidence of energy sources on the seafloor, similar to hydrothermal vents in Earth’s oceans. The Cassini spacecraft studied Saturn and its moons for 13 years before crashing into the ringed gas giant in 2017. The spacecraft was able to collect samples of icy particles in one of Saturn’s outer rings, which scientists believe came from jets ejected by Enceladus. Previously, scientists had already confirmed after analyzing ice particles that Enceladus contains all six chemical elements necessary for life as we know it: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. The Cassini spacecraft also made a closer flyby of Enceladus and collected ice particles from the jets themselves. But they had not been analyzed as thoroughly as scientists from the Free University of Berlin, Germany, did. Researchers have found evidence of a wide range of chemical groups that are common to many biological molecules. These include esters, alkenes, and complex molecules that contain nitrogen and oxygen. While scientists cannot determine exactly what molecules these chemical groups came from, their presence means there is a high probability that chemical reactions that create the building blocks of DNA are present. One reason these chemicals were not found in Saturn’s ring is that the ice particles found in the plume contained less water, so scientists were able to identify complex molecules. This discovery strengthens the idea that Enceladus may have the conditions necessary for life to form and that alien life itself may exist there. The post There May Be Another Habitable World in the Solar System appeared first on Anomalien.com.