Phosphorus discovery suggests Saturn’s moon could be ‘habitable’

In a study published last Wednesday (14) in the scientific journal Nature, scientists say they found signs of phosphorus in the water of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. As the research explainsThe discovery may suggest that the Moon has all the potential elements necessary for the formation of life..

When analyzing 15 years of data from the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Cassini probe, a team of scientists explains that phosphorus has been found in water geysers that erupt repeatedly on Saturn’s moon. In addition, scientists have already found carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen – the elements are considered essential for life.

The study has yet to discover any life forms, according to Frank Potsberg, professor of planetary sciences at Freie Universität Berlin (Germany). However, he says The analyzes indicated that Enceladus may be habitable and that the elements necessary for the formation of life are present..

Phosphorus in its phosphate form is vital to all life on earth. No one would be surprised if there is phosphate in Enceladus rocks. Comets have phosphate… It’s not a big deal. dissolved in the ocean and therefore [está] potentially ready for life creation. “It’s habitable – obviously hard to argue with that – but we don’t know if it’s inhabited,” Potsberg said.

What is the importance of phosphorus?

Phosphorus is considered the rarest of the six elements considered essential for life, responsible for helping to form a skeleton for DNA molecules. Phosphorus concentrations in Enceladus are at least 500 times greater than concentrations recorded in Earth’s oceans, according to the study.

Enceladus is described as a moon with a large ocean of liquid water under an icy crust – ice is everywhere. To verify the information, The researchers measured more than 300 ice grains in laboratories and thus found signs of orthophosphate, the only form of phosphorus absorbed by living organisms..

Despite this, scientists are divided over the presence of phosphorus on Enceladus, and some do not believe the Moon is habitable. A previous study conducted in 2018 suggests that the chemical element is present in a limited form and does not provide the necessary amount for the formation of life.