Faruk Zorlu
15 June 2023•Update: 16 June 2023
ANKARA
Planetary scientists in their latest study discovered that Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, contains phosphates, an essential element for life.
A team of researchers led by planetary scientist Frank Postberg of the Free University of Berlin in Germany found phosphates in the icy grains of Enceladus using data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2017, according to The New York Times.
This is the first time phosphorus has been discovered in an ocean beyond Earth's atmosphere. The findings published in the journal Nature, provide further evidence that Enceladus could be a promising habitat for extraterrestrial life, it said.
Phosphorus plays a crucial role in the composition of human bones and teeth and is considered the scarcest bio-essential ingredient in the universe.
Prior to this discovery, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur had previously been detected on Enceladus, it added.
According to Postberg, aside from Enceladus, the finding suggests that other ocean worlds in the outer solar system, such as Europa and Pluto, may also contain significant amounts of phosphates, implying the potential for habitability.
However, it was stated that further analysis of a larger data sample is required to determine whether Enceladus could truly host humanity.
