Tiny Enceladus [a moon of Saturn] May Hold Ingredients of Life

UANews.org (University of Arizona ) ^ | 05 September 2005 | Lori Stiles

[PatrickHenry]

There were at least three threads yesterday about some organic material found in a comet, which realy isn't a new discovery. But this article about Enceladus seems much more spectacular. Life may be everywhere.

[Bolding and underlining added by me.]

[PatrickHenry]

EvolutionPing

A pro-evolution science list with over 300 names. See the list's explanation at my freeper homepage. Then FReepmail to be added or dropped.

[cripplecreek]

I'm also interested in a closer look at Europa.

[AntiGuv]

Nice article, but Venus and Titan need to be added to the search-for-life list.

[ASA Vet]

Thank you sir, for the interesting science thread.
Getting to the thread before the hijackers appear to despoil it was a first for me.

[js1138]

http://www.nineplanets.org/enceladus.html

[Gefreiter]

P,
But what happens when we DO find it?

Assume we find bulletproof evidence of a life form. Some sort of mold or something.

What do we do first? Kill it to study it? Pollute its environment with our probes and rovers? Muck around with its DNA?

Is there a method, or toolset, that allows us to learn about alien life without being invaders from outer space?

[AntiGuv]

What do we do first?

Kidnap it.

[PatrickHenry]

Getting to the thread before the hijackers appear to despoil it was a first for me.

Thanks for reminding me.

Hey, newbies! (Got your attention with your favorite color, didn't I?) If you're going to post full-screen pics of Darth Vader or something equally dumb and out-of-place, at least don't address such posts to me.

[PatrickHenry]

Is there a method, or toolset, that allows us to learn about alien life without being invaders from outer space?

Yes. I'm pretty sure that NASA has procedures already in place for this. I can't locate a link at the moment.

[AntiGuv]

NASA has both a Planetary Quarantine Program and a Sample Return Protocol depending on what they decide best fits the circumstances, but I don't know the details.

[AntiGuv]

PS. Personally, I think we should just kidnap a sample if we find ET. Planetary invasion is an ugly business, but someone's gotta do it. How does one anal-probe a slime mold anyhow?

[carumba]

The simple organics include carbon dioxide and hydrogen-and-carbon-containing molecules like methane, ethane and ethylene.

Take a pass on this one until the organism can ferment ethanol.

[benjaminjjones]

How 'bout a picture of Darth Vader's Death Star

Mimas

[CSXT]

Went there on my honeymoon in 1972. Just got back.

[wyattearp]

How does one anal-probe a slime mold anyhow?

What if it is a really big slime mold with a nervous system and high mobility, and the "sample" is the equivalent of pulling out it's fingernail. Can't be making ET angry until we know for certain that we can kick it's butt.

[6SJ7]

Enceladus? I buy them at Taco Bell every so often. Tasty.

[highball]

I'm also interested in a closer look at Europa.

So am I, but you remember what the monolith said - "ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE."

[DesertSapper]

Woohoo! Proof of life elsewhere! There is no god except Darwin!

Whoops, I spoke too soon . . . 4.5 billion years of "heating a cocktail of simple organics, water and nitrogen..." just isn't enough time to create life. Unless of course it happens here on Earth and then it is more than enough time to produce humans.

Wow! Evolution takes a lot of faith.

[Dimensio]

There is no god except Darwin!

Creationists would carry at least a little more credibility if they would stop dishonestly pretending that Darwin is deified by anyone.