NASA Scientists Spot "Really Unexpected" Molecule in Atmosphere of Saturn's Largest Moon
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for nutherguy_:
NASA scientists spot "really unexpected" molecule in atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon:
Using a massive radiotelescope in Chile, a team of NASA scientists say they've spotted a highly unusual molecule in the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.
The molecule in question is cyclopropenylidene[*], or C3H2. It's an exciting find because molecules similar to it form parts of the nucleobases of DNA and RNA, structures that carry the genetic code of life - though, the researchers were quick to point out, that doesn't necessarily mean the discovery is proof of life on Titan.
"When I realized I was looking at cyclopropenylidene, my first thought was, 'Well, this is really unexpected,'" research lead Conor Nixon, a planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement.
Previously, the rare molecule had only been spotted in clouds of gas between star systems, regions NASA says are too cold and empty for exciting chemical reactions to occur.
Titan's atmosphere, however, appears to be teeming with reactions, one of the many reasons NASA wants to study the world using a beefy octocopter drone called Dragonfly.
[...] READ MORE: NASA Scientists Discover 'Weird' Molecule in Titan's Atmosphere [NASA]
[*] Cyclopropenylidene on Wikipedia.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.