“The Astrobiological exploration of Enceladus“
Speaker: Dr. Alfonso Davila, NASA Ames Research Center.
Date: Monday, November 25, 2024
Time: 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Location: ISB 102 & Zoom (link)
Enceladus, a small moon of Saturn, is one of the most promising destinations in the search for evidence of life beyond Earth, based on remarkable findings from the Cassini mission. Beneath Enceladus’ icy crust there is a global subsurface ocean in direct contact with the moon’s rocky core. Ocean materials erupt through giant cracks at the moon’s south pole, forming spectacular plumes of water vapor and ice that Cassini flew through and sampled directly. Within these plumes, Cassini detected complex organic molecules and evidence of hydrothermal activity—a source of chemical energy and a possible environment for an origin of life. The combination of liquid water, organic molecules, and energy sources mirrors the essential ingredients for life on Earth, placing Enceladus among the most intriguing locations for astrobiological exploration. A future mission to Enceladus may reveal evidence of life, but abiotic and prebiotic scenarios should also be considered and given significant intellectual value, as they could reveal important clues regarding the conditions in which life originated on our planet. Enceladus’ tantalizing potential to answer fundamental questions about life beyond Earth has made it a priority target for future missions and can catalyze strong synergies between astrobiology and earth sciences.
About the speaker:
Alfonso Davila is a Research Scientist in the Exobiology branch at NASA Ames Research Center, where he helps develop strategies to search for evidence of life beyond Earth. He also conducts theoretical and experimental research on the nature and distribution of life in terrestrial environments considered analogous to extraterrestrial environments of astrobiological interest and investigate factors that affect biological potential and biosignature preservation in those analog environments.
Recording of the talk: