Scientists Get Real About the Chances for Alien Life on Saturn’s Moon Titan

Saturn’s moon Titan is often pegged as one of the worlds in our solar system where life could theoretically exist. A new analysis concludes that is indeed possible, albeit incredibly unlikely. Titan is known for being the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere, and it also has bodies of liquid, including liquid water hidden under deep shells of ice. But alas, with all that going for it, an international team of astronomers determined that conditions on Titan would only be able to sustain enough biomass to equal one moderately chunky cat. It’s been 20 years since the Cassini-Huygens mission—a joint effort by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency—visited Titan. While the Cassini probe continued its journey through space, collecting data on Saturn and its moons, the Huygens lander separated to get an even closer look at one in particular. When it descended through the atmosphere and landed on Titan on January 15, 2005, it became the first hum ... Read full article.