X-Nico

Life on Titan

In October 2010, Sarah Horst of the University of Arizona reported finding the five nucleotide bases—building blocks of DNA and RNA—among the many compounds produced when energy was applied to a combination of gases like those in Titan's atmosphere.

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Because of the extreme cold and also because of lack of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere, scientists such as Jonathan Lunine have viewed Titan less as a likely habitat for extraterrestrial life, than as an experiment for examining theories on the conditions that prevailed prior to the appearance of life on Earth.

see also