Scientists Spot Rare Ingredient of Life on Saturn's Moon Enceladus
In a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists have found evidence of phosphorus, a rare ingredient essential for life, in the icy ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The discovery was made using data from NASA's Cassini mission, which flew past Enceladus several times between 2004 and 2017. The data showed that the moon's icy plumes, which erupt from cracks in its surface, contain high levels of phosphorus. Phosphorus is a key component of DNA and RNA, the building blocks of life. Its presence in Enceladus' ocean suggests that the moon may have the potential to support life. "This is a significant finding," said Frank Postberg, a planetary scientist at Freie Universität Berlin and lead author of the study. "It's the first time we've seen evidence of phosphorus in an ocean beyond Earth." Enceladus is a small moon, measuring just 500 kilometers in diameter. But it is home to a vast ocean that may be up to 10 kilometers de...