NASA finds Titan's alien lakes may be creating primitive cells

Summary

NASA research has shown that cell-like compartments called vesicles could form naturally in the lakes of Saturn's moon Titan. Titan is the only world apart from Earth that is known to have liquid on its surface. However, Titan's lakes and seas are not filled with water. Instead, they contain liquid hydrocarbons like ethane and methane. On Earth, liquid water is thought to have been essential for the origin of life as we know it. Many astrobiologists have wondered whether Titan's liquids could also provide an environment for the formation of the molecules required for life - either as we know it or perhaps as we don't know it - to take hold there. New NASA research, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, outlines a process by which stable vesicles might form on Titan, based on our current knowledge of the moon's atmosphere and chemistry. The formation of such compartments is an important step in making the precursors of living cells (or protocells). The process involves molecules called amphiphiles, which can self-organize into vesicles under the right conditions. On Earth, these polar molecules have two parts, a hydrophobic (water-fearing) end and a hydrophilic (water-loving) end. When they are in water, groups of these molecules can bunch together and form ball-like spheres, like soap bubbles, where the hydrophilic part of the molecule faces outward to interact with the water, thereby 'protecting' the hydrophobic part on the inside of the sphere. Under the right conditions, two layers can form creating a cell-like ball with a bilayer membrane that encapsulates a pocket of water on the inside. When considering vesicle formation on Titan, however, the researchers had to take into account an environment vastly different from the early Earth. Uncovering Conditions on Titan Titan is Saturn's largest moon and the second largest in our solar system. Titan is also the only moon in our solar system with a substantial atmosphere. The hazy, golden atmosphere ...