Life on Titan

If this blog could have a mascot, and if a planet or moon could be a mascot for anything, then the intersection of those categories would have to be Titan.

ALL HAIL. (Source)

Of all the planets and moons in our solar system besides Earth. it is definitely the most interesting. It's also the most distant solid object on which we have successfully landed a probe. If you don't believe me, check out this guided tour from JPL. Given that we're pretty sure there are rivers and lakes of hydrocarbons there, it's been a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life.

I bring this up now because the Facebook trending feed has delivered again; looks like a team at Cornell has found a candidate compound to form cell membranes for potential Titanians (Titanites? Titanoids?)

Source: Scientific American

I've talked about alternative biochemistry schemes before, but I've probably oversimplified the issue. Mostly I've talked about alternative atoms or simple molecules (silicon for carbon, ammonia for water, etc). These Cornell guys came up with a compound I've never seen before: acrylonitrile. Basically this compound form liposome alternatives called "azotosomes." Liposomes are basically the hollow spheres of phospholipids that form the membranes of cells and cell organelles. In other words, they form a framework for the basic constituent of life as we know it. So we may now have a better idea of the fundamentals of Titanian life.

Of course, this is just one piece of the puzzle that is life on Titan. One of those 500-piece puzzles that your whole family works on over Christmas vacation. And for all we know we may have gotten the pieces mixed up with the dozen other puzzles in the cabinet. The only way we can really find answers is if we go to the source, and that's not likely to happen for a while yet.

PS: Coming soon- recap of Star Wars Rebels Season 1!