Saturn's biggest moon could support a new kind of alien life
When it comes to looking for life on other planets, scientists tend to focus their search on planets that have the right conditions for liquid water to form, but Saturn’s moon Titan might just point the way to the existence of life without water.
Researchers in the US have been analysing the chemical composition of Saturn’s largest satellite, and think the presence of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) molecules in the atmosphere could pave the way for different forms of life to evolve.
That’s because HCN reacts to form polymers including polyimine, and polyimine is able to absorb a wide spectrum of light – so wide that it’s enough to capture light penetrating Titan’s dense and hazy atmosphere.
