Worlds with hidden oceans give hope for life beyond Earth, scientist says
Secret ocean worlds may be common in other star systems. Listen - 01:49
Saturn s moon Titan is a fascinating place. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
We re pretty fond of Earth, a planet covered in exposed oceans, and we keep looking for far-off planets that might be similar and capable of hosting life. But instead of looking harder, scientists may have to look deeper.
That s one takeaway from a paper that suggests planets and moons with water hidden beneath their crust may be common in other solar systems and that they could potentially host life, vastly expanding the conditions for planetary habitability and biological survival over time. The paper, presented this week by Southwest Research Institute planetary scientist S. Alan Stern, looks at what it calls interior water ocean worlds, or IWOWs (PDF
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Recreated Particles of Titan s Haze Could Help Us Understand How Life Began on Earth
MATT WILLIAMS, UNIVERSE TODAY
28 FEBRUARY 2021
Beyond Earth, the general scientific consensus is that the best place to search for evidence of extraterrestrial life is Mars. However, it is by no means the only place.
Aside from the many extrasolar planets that have been designated as potentially-habitable, there are plenty of other candidates right here in our Solar System.
These include the many icy satellites that are thought to have interior oceans that could harbor life.
Among them is Titan, Saturn s largest moon that has all kinds of organic chemistry taking place between its atmosphere and surface. For some time, scientists have suspected that the study of Titan s atmosphere could yield vital clues to the early stages of the evolution of life on Earth.