SRL Archive - Discussions & Debates

EVIDENCE of life has been discovered on Saturn's biggest moon, Titan.

Analysis of data sent back by NASA's Cassini probe suggests primitive aliens are breathing in Titan's atmosphere and feeding on fuel at the surface.

The startling discoveries, made using an orbiting spacecraft, are revealed in two separate reports.

Organic chemicals had already been detected on Titan but the liquid is methane, not water, and scientists expect life there to be methane-based.

The first paper said hydrogen gas flowing down through Titan's atmosphere disappears at the surface, suggesting it could be being breathed by alien bugs.

The other paper reports there is a lack of a certain chemical on the surface, leading scientists to believe it may be being consumed by life.

Scientists had expected sunlight interacting with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce a coating of acetylene on Titan's surface but Cassini detected no acetylene there.

Experts warn there could be other explanations for the results. But taken together, they fulfil two important conditions necessary for methane-based life to exist.

NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay said: "If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."

Scientists believe that when the Sun swells up, swallowing Earth, conditions could be ideal on Titan.

Professor John Zarnecki, of the Open University, said: "We believe the chemistry is there for life to form. It just needs heat and warmth to kick-start the process.

"In four billion years' time, when the Sun swells into a red giant, it could be paradise on Titan."

Source: http://www.news.com.au/technology/scientists-excited-by-signs-of-life-on-saturns-moon/story-e6frfro0-1225876207420

I don't see this as evidence, look like more speculation.

Imagine: Life on a moon so nearby! That would certainly alter our view of the probability of life anywhere in the cosmos. And it would certainly lead to a more pragmatic view of the cosmos. i.e. less religious dogmas.

Let's quickly destroy Voyager I and II, before the aliens come raiding us! (As Stephen Hawking suggested)

This ones a pretty decent read http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/titan20100603.html

From: IceFire908
I don't see this as evidence, look like more speculation.

Yeah sorry homie, but EVIDENCE in all caps as the thread title is kind of misleading…

…It is more likely that a chemical process, without biology, can explain these results…

From the article Boreas posted.


Still an exciting prospect though!

Hah cool that its so close to home :)

From: WT-Fakawi
Let's quickly destroy Voyager I and II, before the aliens come raiding us! (As Stephen Hawking suggested)

Electromagnetic waves from our planet travelling at the speed of light have been propagating through space for hundreds of years already, the aliens already know we're here. Even if they don't know we're here they'll detect the electromagnetic waves (different to background radiation due to electronic modulation, an information-containing signal is alot different to say, a burst from a star) before they detect a little ball of metal travelling at a fraction of the speed of light, so if the aliens wanted us for bad purposes we're already screwed. Makes me wonder why Hawking would troll like that, because unlike the other epic troll that's going on, what is the benefit in making people afraid of aliens?

What possible use could the aliens have for us anyway? I've read some stuff about harvesting our conciousness's/the life energy which flows through us, and that we could in fact be put here by aliens (not as far fetched as it sounds especially since scientists have just made synthetic life themselves). Perhaps they have technology to tap-in to the infinite and use that for energy rather than non-renewable fuels? Are we that technology?

Because a civilisation that has perfected (near) light-speed travel would have absolutely no interest in the meagre amount of fuel or the comparitively archaic technology that our planet contains, when they could get the fuel from one of the hundreds of millions of planets closer to their home - it's the life which makes us relatively special.

Maybe we can bring these methane based bugs to our planet and have them eat all the methane in our atmosphere - do a load of good.

From: The Claw
Hah cool that its so close to home :)



Electromagnetic waves from our planet travelling at the speed of light have been propagating through space for hundreds of years already, the aliens already know we're here. Even if they don't know we're here they'll detect the electromagnetic waves (different to background radiation due to electronic modulation, an information-containing signal is alot different to say, a burst from a star) before they detect a little ball of metal travelling at a fraction of the speed of light, so if the aliens wanted us for bad purposes we're already screwed. Makes me wonder why Hawking would troll like that, because unlike the other epic troll that's going on, what is the benefit in making people afraid of aliens?

What possible use could the aliens have for us anyway? I've read some stuff about harvesting our conciousness's/the life energy which flows through us, and that we could in fact be put here by aliens (not as far fetched as it sounds especially since scientists have just made synthetic life themselves). Perhaps they have technology to tap-in to the infinite and use that for energy rather than non-renewable fuels? Are we that technology?

Because a civilisation that has perfected (near) light-speed travel would have absolutely no interest in the meagre amount of fuel or the comparitively archaic technology that our planet contains, when they could get the fuel from one of the hundreds of millions of planets closer to their home - it's the life which makes us relatively special.

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=948
No need to worry :p

From: IceFire908
I don't see this as evidence, look like more speculation.

It's evidence for life. Doesn't necessarily mean that it is most definitely life. ;)

[QUOTE=Dan's The Man;715805]It's evidence for life. Doesn't necessarily mean that it is most definitely life. ;)

Sorry, but isn't that what "evidence" is?

^ No. Seeing someone holding a bloody knife by a corpse is evidence, but it doesn't mean the knife-holding person is definitely the reason there is another lifeless thing on Earth.

From: i luffs yeww
^ No. Seeing someone holding a bloody knife by a corpse is evidence, but it doesn't mean the knife-holding person is definitely the reason there is another lifeless thing on Earth.

Ok, if you look at it that way it's not even that. It's not like they fond a fossil or someshit; someone could of put that fossil there doesn't mean it originated from there.

But seriously, they didn't find a fossil, or dead organisms… some guy is curious about the lack of certain things.. which sounds absolutely ridiculous

The first paper said hydrogen gas flowing down through Titan's atmosphere disappears at the surface, suggesting it could be being breathed by alien bugs.

The other paper reports there is a lack of a certain chemical on the surface, leading scientists to believe it may be being consumed by life.

Is this a joke? Does anyone honestly believe that "alien bugs" could breath in a significant amount of "hydrogen gas flowing down Titan's atmosphere" enough for someone that is far as a mofo away to say "omg EVIDENCE"

Oh and "a lack of a certain chemical on the surface" … again I don't see how this is evidence… it sounds like a crackpot theory.

IMO this isn't evidence, just a speculation or a guess from a bored researcher..

From: The Claw
Electromagnetic waves from our planet travelling at the speed of light have been propagating through space for hundreds of years already, the aliens already know we're here. Even if they don't know we're here they'll detect the electromagnetic waves (different to background radiation due to electronic modulation, an information-containing signal is alot different to say, a burst from a star) before they detect a little ball of metal travelling at a fraction of the speed of light, so if the aliens wanted us for bad purposes we're already screwed. Makes me wonder why Hawking would troll like that, because unlike the other epic troll that's going on, what is the benefit in making people afraid of aliens?

What possible use could the aliens have for us anyway? I've read some stuff about harvesting our conciousness's/the life energy which flows through us, and that we could in fact be put here by aliens (not as far fetched as it sounds especially since scientists have just made synthetic life themselves). Perhaps they have technology to tap-in to the infinite and use that for energy rather than non-renewable fuels? Are we that technology?

Because a civilisation that has perfected (near) light-speed travel would have absolutely no interest in the meagre amount of fuel or the comparitively archaic technology that our planet contains, when they could get the fuel from one of the hundreds of millions of planets closer to their home - it's the life which makes us relatively special.

Hawking didn't come up with this idea, its been in the air for a while. I first remember reading it by Isaac Asimov and Michio Kako. What they say that it that our civilisation probably look like an ants nest to any aliens powerful enough to visit. Consider what humans do when an ants nest is on top of a coal deposit. Do we carefully move the ants nest so we can dig? yeah right, who cares about the ants.
Suppose the aliens want to mine the vast amount of iron we have on this planet. We don't show the ants any mercy, why should the aliens give us the same privilege?

We have to hope that the aliens value any life they find. Basically hope that the first aliens we meet are curious scientists, not hard-nosed businessmen.

Stephen Hawking is right, but it doesn't mean we should stop searching for life or sending out voyager-like spacecraft.


The dangers from aliens, meteorites and other space nasties mean that humans will have to colonise other worlds. We can't keep holding all our eggs on one planet. I see a distant future where immigrants journey to Mars in the same way they journeyed to America all those years ago.

If you guys are interested you should read some literature about this. I've already mentioned Isaac Asimov but Carl Sagan is a visionary too. His book 'Pale Blue Dot' is all about this stuff.


And of course, finding life would have theological implications too. Virtually all religions hold that God created the universe especially for us. Finding life, especially life equal to or superior to us would be a death blow to that premise.
But religion won't die, its survived many such discoveries before.

Wow, that's interesting. Never would have thought that there would be life that could be based off of another element. Good find! :)