Space

Earthly microbes found to survive in Enceladus-like environment

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Scientists have recreated conditions found on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, and discovered that some earthly bacteria can survive
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Scientists have recreated conditions found on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, and discovered that some earthly bacteria can survive
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
The researchers found that the methane-producing bacteria could survive and reproduce under Enceladus-like conditions
Simon Rittmann/University of Vienna
A cross-section diagram of the subterranean ocean on Enceladus, complete with hot deep-sea vents and plumes on the surface
NASA
The researchers recreated Enceladus-like conditions in the lab, and subjected a deep-sea species of bacteria to them to see how well they survived
Simon Rittmann/University of Vienna
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Saturn's moon Enceladus is one of the most promising places in the Solar System to look for life. It's wet, has plenty of resources and is quite warm in parts, which are all high on the microbial real estate wish list. In a new study, scientists subjected earthly bacteria to the kind of conditions found on Enceladus, and saw that the bugs were able to not only survive, but reproduce. The find adds weight to the idea that the icy moon might just be able to support life.

Most of our knowledge of Enceladus comes from the now-defunct Cassini probe, which spent over a decade imaging Saturn and its many moons. Data gathered during that time revealed a vast underground ocean, with hot deep vents on the seabed and geysers spewing ice and vapor into space. Cassini later dived through those plumes and analyzed their chemical composition, finding a rich cocktail of ingredients necessary for life as well as potential biosignatures like methane.

A cross-section diagram of the subterranean ocean on Enceladus, complete with hot deep-sea vents and plumes on the surface
NASA

Now, as a more direct test for whether these conditions are suitable for life, researchers on the new study set out to recreate the oceans of Enceladus in the lab, drop bacteria in there and watch how they fared.

The bugs in question were Methanothermococcus okinawensis, a strain of methane-producing bacteria found deep in the seas around Japan. These microbes were chosen because they seem particularly well-suited to the conditions on Enceladus. They can survive in environments with very high pressure and temperature, and they metabolize carbon dioxide and molecular hydrogen – both of which were detected in large quantities in the moon's plumes. Sure enough, the bacteria were able to survive, reproducing and emitting methane.

"We have shown that methanogens are capable of multiplying under Enceladus-like conditions and some of the methane detected in the water ice fountains therefore could in principle be of biological origin," says Simon Rittmann, director of the study.

The researchers found that the methane-producing bacteria could survive and reproduce under Enceladus-like conditions
Simon Rittmann/University of Vienna

Exciting as it may be, there are huge asterisks hovering over this find. The recipe for the pseudo-Enceladus soup was extrapolated from Cassini data, so it might not be completely accurate. And, of course, there's the risk of making too strong a link – just because something may have the potential to live there, doesn't mean anything actually does.

That said, if nothing else the new study highlights how interesting Enceladus is and the icy moon will no doubt remain a place of interest in the hunt for extraterrestrial life.

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: University of Vienna

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5 comments
Emily Elizabeth Windsor-Cragg
It's just so silly. Earth scientistic biologists keep trying to define life elsewhere on Earth-biology terms. Get out of your mental box, okay? Hominid DNA-sequences can be applied to many different combinations of elements, not merely carbon and silicon, but also to the inert gases. Western academics are so programmed for political correctness, they can't see anything real anywhere else.
CharlieSeattle
Well then, lets spend 2 trillion bucks to see if we can find microbes!
Douglas Bennett Rogers
So far as we know, Earth could be the only planet, or region, with life. Or maybe there are aliens walking among us, or they ARE us. Answering any of these questions would be a watershed moment.
Roger Garrett
The fact that Earth microbes could survive in an Enceladus-like environment does not in any way imply that they could ORIGINATE or evolve in that environment.
We clearly need a better understanding of the chemistry of how life originates before we can make any claims about how likely it is that life exists anywhere else in our solar system.
noteugene
I'm not overly impressed with the life forms here, much less there.