8 Worlds Where Life Might Exist

ToSeek · #1 (**permalink**) 23-March-2006, 05:30 PM

Quote:

The number of nearby worlds where biology might arise is on the uptick.

Life requires a few basic ingredients: (1) raw materials, (2) a solvent (water being first choice), and (3) energy to drive it all. The first is probably not a problem on any rocky hunk of junk in the solar system. The handful of elements necessary for life is available just about everywhere. The latter two requirements are coupled, since energy is necessary to keep fluids liquefied. The outer realms of the solar system are cracking cold, and in these remote places the Sun’s feeble rays are insufficient to keep water from freezing granite-hard. For that reason, researchers have usually opined that any solar system body skulking in the dark expanses beyond Mars’ orbit will be in perpetual, frozen rictus.

But science grooves on surprises. And one of the big surprises of the past few decades is the discovery of worlds that are warm despite being situated in places where the Sun doesn’t shine. Consequently, there are now more than a half-dozen objects among Sol’s minions that are considered possible hosts for life. As a handy guide to these neighborhood biomes, useful for impressing relatives or strangers on the bus, we offer the following inventory, thoughtfully separated into two categories: the sunny, and the not so sunny.

Sweety · #2 (**permalink**) 26-March-2006, 03:12 PM

nice site and nice add

VenusROVER · #3 (**permalink**) 28-March-2006, 12:18 AM

The 8 worlds are Earth, mars, europa , callisto, ganymede, Titan, Encaludas, and Vanus

Halcyon Dayz · #4 (**permalink**) 28-March-2006, 12:50 AM

I'm pretty sure about life on Earth.

Grand_Lunar · #5 (**permalink**) 06-April-2006, 03:39 PM

"Vanus"?

Yes, I agree about that Earth place. But not so sure about the name; all that water!

sun45114 · #6 (**permalink**) 20-April-2006, 03:41 PM

Fossils of Martian Organisms might be on the terraces within Valles Marineris, if there exists life in Mars.

Tianxi Sun
Professorial Senior Engineer
P. R. of China
sun45114@yahoo.com.cn

Denis12 · #7 (**permalink**) 21-April-2006, 10:24 PM

And dont forget the Moon ,there is a (little) chance that there can be bacterial life in the near vacuum on the Moon i have read a long time ago. Somebody who knows about it?

Warren Platts · #8 (**permalink**) 22-April-2006, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denis12

And dont forget the Moon ,there is a (little) chance that there can be bacterial life in the near vacuum on the Moon i have read a long time ago. Somebody who knows about it?

The TV camera that was mounted on an unmanned Surveyor probe that was retrieved by Alan Bean and Pete Conrad of the Apollo 12 mission supposedly contained viable Earth bacteria within it, proving that bacterica can survive on the Moon for at least a few years.

Big Brother Dunk · #9 (**permalink**) 23-April-2006, 02:33 PM

Interesting link, thanks.

Quote:

So curiosity about extraterrestrial life is both understandable and long-standing. Today, many of our efforts to find DNA’s alien equivalents focus on distant locales; for example, the use of space-borne telescopes to sort through the spectra of extrasolar worlds, looking for atmospheric gases that would be evidence of biology.

But there’s also a backyard effort: the hunt for life nearby. Life in the solar system. Life whose remove is measured in hundreds of millions of miles – not hundreds of trillions.

I often find myself thinking in terms of extra-solar life, but this article brings it closer to home

PhantomWolf · #10 (**permalink**) 26-April-2006, 08:58 AM

The TV camera that was mounted on an unmanned Surveyor probe that was retrieved by Alan Bean and Pete Conrad of the Apollo 12 mission supposedly contained viable Earth bacteria within it, proving that bacterica can survive on the Moon for at least a few years.

While this was the inital theory, there is now belief that the camarea was actually contaminated after retrieval.

magma · #11 (**permalink**) 13-July-2006, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Platts

The TV camera that was mounted on an unmanned Surveyor probe that was retrieved by Alan Bean and Pete Conrad of the Apollo 12 mission supposedly contained viable Earth bacteria within it, proving that bacterica can survive on the Moon for at least a few years.

Wait. I thought the moon had no atmosphere?

01101001 · #12 (**permalink**) 13-July-2006, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magma

Wait. I thought the moon had no atmosphere?

What statement conflicts with the Moon's having no atmosphere?

NASA Astrobiology Magazine: Apollo 12 Remembered

Quote:

The plan was to bring back the camera portion of the probe, but when the recovery was done and results were analyzed in Houston, a remarkable report was generated at the time that buried in the camera's insulating foam was a strain of streptococcus bacteria that appeared to have dessicated and survived three years of protected lunar exposure.
[...]
The Apollo 12 results were later dismissed as laboratory error, owing to a single non-sterile handling event. But the lore continues to occupy some who anticipate that dormant bacteria or microbes may form a possible biological tranfer route between solar system bodies. The longest exposure time of bacteria to the harsh vacuum of space was a Bacillus strain that was revived after six years in a controlled biological experiment, so even if the Apollo 12 results are questionable, the ability of bacteria to survive extreme environments is not particularly in question.

Van Rijn · #13 (**permalink**) 13-July-2006, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magma

Wait. I thought the moon had no atmosphere?

For all useful purposes it doesn't. However, there are always a few molecules from solar wind and outgassing that are sometimes referred to as an "atmosphere." See here:

http://www.xefer.com/2005/06/moon

Rather than debate terms, I just say that it is an excellent vacuum. Some bacteria might be able to survive in these conditions for a time as spores, essentially in a state of suspended animation, but there would be no metabolic activity and no growth.

Frog march · #14 (**permalink**) 13-July-2006, 01:15 AM

I read that one(or was it all) of the moon landings doubled the moon's atmosphere with their exhaust gases.

ToSeek · #15 (**permalink**) 13-July-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frog march

I read that one(or was it all) of the moon landings doubled the moon's atmosphere with their exhaust gases.

I know one of the science instruments on a previous mission that monitored the Moon's atmosphere could tell when the next mission landed because of the increase in the atmosphere.

greenfeather · #16 (**permalink**) 28-July-2006, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VenusROVER

The 8 worlds are Earth, mars, europa , callisto, ganymede, Titan, Encaludas, and Vanus

What about Jupiter? I just finished reading Ben Bova's JUPITER... they take a submersible down to Jupiter's ocean, where they meet giant intelligent whale creatures.

The author of LONELY PLANETS says you need an energy gradient and some sort of liquid, as requirements for life. Jupiter has tremendously powerful storms/gravitational energy, and of course, complex chemistry as well. I don't see any reason it wouldn't be teeming with life (OK, not mammalian type beings but let's not be picky.)

Or is the originator of this thread talking about planets where humans could live? If so, what's Venus doing on that list?

greenfeather · #17 (**permalink**) 30-July-2006, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VenusROVER

The 8 worlds are Earth, mars, europa , callisto, ganymede, Titan, Encaludas, and Vanus

We know that venus is the victim of a runaway greenhouse effect. It seems just about any atmospheric molecule larger than oxygen causes greenhouse warming. So how does one stop or prevent it?

eburacum45 · #18 (**permalink**) 31-July-2006, 09:18 AM

If you manitain an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere the greenhouse effect is reduced. This could be done with a great effort, probably invoolving carbon sequestration where necessary. Obviously we don't wan't to eliminate the greenhouse effect altogether, otherwise the planet concerned would have a climate like the Moon's with no thermal regulation at all from the atmosphere. In many ways we owe our lives to the greenhouse effect.

Alternately you could work with it; a fairly strong greenhouse effect could raise the temperature of an otherwise cold world; if there was an Earth-mass planet orbiting beyond Mars greenhouse gases could raise the temperature until liquid water was possible; the atmosphere on such a world would not be like Earth's, but some sort of biosphere might be possible.

ToSeek · #19 (**permalink**) 31-July-2006, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eburacum45

If you manitain an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere the greenhouse effect is reduced. This could be done with a great effort, probably invoolving carbon sequestration where necessary. Obviously we don't wan't to eliminate the greenhouse effect altogether, otherwise the planet concerned would have a climate like the Moon's with no thermal regulation at all from the atmosphere. In many ways we owe our lives to the greenhouse effect.

I think the main result of no greenhouse effect would be that it would be a lot colder - the stability of the temperature has more to do with the overall mass of the atmosphere than the greenhouse effect, I believe. (Plus it doesn't help that the Moon has days two weeks long.)

greenfeather · #20 (**permalink**) 03-August-2006, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToSeek

I think the main result of no greenhouse effect would be that it would be a lot colder - the stability of the temperature has more to do with the overall mass of the atmosphere than the greenhouse effect, I believe. (Plus it doesn't help that the Moon has days two weeks long.)

But how do you STOP the greenhouse effect once it's started? I wish we had as many scientists working on this as we do on the space program. I mean, I'm fascinated by space and alien life, but let's get our priorities straight. Besides I'm sick of this 100 degree heat.