Unexpected Chemical Discovery on Titan
Scientists from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and NASA have made a surprising discovery on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, challenging one of the most basic principles in chemistry.
The finding could change how researchers think about the chemistry that existed before life began on Earth—and possibly elsewhere in the universe.
Titan - An Icy World
Titan is an icy world shrouded in a thick, orange haze made mostly of nitrogen and methane, with lakes, rivers, and seas of liquid methane and ethane on its surface.
Similarities to Early Earth
Because Titan's conditions may resemble those of early Earth billions of years ago, scientists have long studied it to understand how life's building blocks might first have formed.
The discovery could rewrite the rules of life's origins.
Author's summary: New discovery on Titan challenges basic chemistry principles.