Enceladus Harbors Key Ingredient for Life and Powerful Energy Source

Overview

• New analysis of data from NASA's Cassini mission reveals that Saturn's moon Enceladus contains hydrogen cyanide, a key ingredient for life, and a powerful energy source deep below its icy shell.
• Enceladus' subsurface ocean, from which plumes of ice and water originate, could be the source of several other organic compounds, some of which serve as fuel sources for terrestrial organisms.
• The presence of hydrogen cyanide, a crucial precursor for some molecules necessary for life, takes the concept that Enceladus could be habitable to a whole new level.
• The new findings suggest that there are various chemical pathways available for organisms in the moon's subsurface ocean, providing more energy than previously thought.
• Scientists plan to investigate these chemical pathways for life in the lab, using the new findings to determine if Enceladus really has the right conditions for life.