花小蜜

常識(shí)科普人

雖然太陽系內(nèi)有海洋的巖石星眾多

但土衛(wèi)二的羽泉讓人神往

它不僅證明了冰下液態(tài)海洋的存在

還被發(fā)現(xiàn)藏著有機(jī)物

NASA最新發(fā)現(xiàn)的氨基酸讓人振奮

https://www./saturn-moon-enceladus-organic-compounds-in-plumes.html

https://www./nasa-just-revealed-enceladus-really-does-contain-the-building-blocks-of-life

https://www./science/archive/2019/06/titan-saturn-nasa-dragonfly/592882/

羽泉中被檢測出有氨基酸

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Scientists just found the most basic ingredients for life bursting from an ocean on Saturn's moon Enceladus.

NASA科學(xué)家們剛剛發(fā)現(xiàn)了生命的最基本成分,，從土星的衛(wèi)星埃塞拉多斯星（2號(hào)衛(wèi)星）的羽泉爆發(fā)中偵測到的,。

A new analysis of NASA data reveals the presence of organic compounds in the plumes of liquid water that shoot into space from the ocean below Enceladus's icy crust.

對(duì)美國宇航局?jǐn)?shù)據(jù)的一項(xiàng)新分析揭示了土衛(wèi)二冰層下，從海洋射入太空的液態(tài)羽泉中,，確系存在復(fù)雜有機(jī)化合物,。

These compounds, which carry nitrogen and oxygen, play a key role in producing amino acids ?- complex molecules that serve as the building blocks of proteins. Without proteins, life as we know it on Earth couldn't exist.

這些攜帶氮和氧的化合物，在產(chǎn)生蛋白質(zhì)等復(fù)雜分子過程中起著關(guān)鍵作用,。沒有蛋白質(zhì),，我們?cè)诘厍蛏纤赖纳罹筒豢赡艽嬖凇?/p>

Scientists have long suspected that the ocean below Enceladus's surface could harbour the ingredients for life. Researchers had detected other organic molecules coming from the icy moon before, but this is the first time anyone has detected them dissolved in the water.

長期以來，科學(xué)家們一直認(rèn)為,，土衛(wèi)二表面以下的海洋可以儲(chǔ)存生命的成分,。研究人員已經(jīng)檢測到了來自這個(gè)冰冷星球的其他有機(jī)分子，但這是第一次有人檢測到氨基酸溶解于液態(tài)水中,。

That's critical, since it means the compounds could undergo deep-sea chemical reactions that produce amino acids.

這是至關(guān)重要的，因?yàn)檫@意味著這些化合物可以經(jīng)歷產(chǎn)生氨基酸的深?；瘜W(xué)反應(yīng),。

These findings were published Wednesday in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

這些發(fā)現(xiàn)發(fā)表在本周三的《皇家天文學(xué)會(huì)月刊》上。

"This work shows that Enceladus' ocean has reactive building blocks in abundance, and it's another green light in the investigation of the habitability of Enceladus," Frank Postberg, a co-author of the study, said in a press release.

該研究的合著者弗蘭克·珀斯伯格在一份新聞稿中說：“這項(xiàng)研究表明,，恩克拉多斯星的海洋有大量的反應(yīng)性堆積,，這是研究土星的二號(hào)衛(wèi)星可以住人的另一個(gè)綠燈?！?/p>

氨基酸將在其深海創(chuàng)建生命

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On Enceladus, jets of ocean water and ice regularly shoot out into space through warm cracks in the moon's crust.

在土衛(wèi)二上,，海水和冰的射流經(jīng)常通過該星球的溫暖裂縫射入太空。

The NASA scientists behind the new study analysed data on the chemical composition of those plumes, and found several new organic compounds, some containing nitrogen and some containing oxygen.

美國宇航局的科學(xué)家在這項(xiàng)新的研究之后分析了這些羽泉的化學(xué)成分,，發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些新的有機(jī)化合物,，一些含有氮和一些含氧。

These compounds were dissolved in the ocean water below Enceladus's surface. They then evaporated with the surface water, condensed, and froze into the moon's icy crust, according to the study. The plumes blew the compounds into space, where NASA's Cassini spacecraft sensed them as it flew nearby.

這些化合物溶解在土衛(wèi)二表面的海水中,。然后,，隨著地表水蒸發(fā),，凝結(jié)，凍結(jié)到該星球結(jié)冰的外殼上,，根據(jù)該研究,。這些羽泉將這些化合物吹向太空，美國宇航局的卡西尼號(hào)宇宙飛船在附近飛行時(shí)首次察覺到了它們,。

The compounds are yet another sign that Enceladus might have its own version of a process that creates life on Earth.

這些化合物是土衛(wèi)二可能有自己的,，類似地球生命演化過程的另一個(gè)跡象。

Deep in Earth's oceans, seawater mixes with magma that bubbles up through cracks in the ocean floor. That interaction produces smoky hydrothermal vents that can get as hot as 700 degrees Fahrenheit (370 degrees Celsius).

在地球海洋深處,，海水與巖漿混合,，巖漿從海底的裂縫中冒出來。這種相互作用產(chǎn)生的冒煙熱液噴口溫度可達(dá)700華氏度（370攝氏度）,。

The vents spew hydrogen-rich hot water, fuelling chemical reactions that transform organic compounds into amino acids. Those amino acids can then stack onto each other like Legos to form proteins, which are crucial for replicating the genetic information that creates life.

從通風(fēng)口噴出富含氫氣的熱水,，加速了化學(xué)反應(yīng)，將有機(jī)化合物轉(zhuǎn)化為氨基酸,。這些氨基酸可以像樂高積木一樣堆積在一起,，形成蛋白質(zhì)高分子，這些蛋白質(zhì)分子對(duì)于復(fù)制創(chuàng)造生命的遺傳信息至關(guān)重要,。

This process allows life to develop without the assistance of sunlight. That's important because Enceladus's ice surface is highly reflective and sends what little sunlight the moon receives back into space. Any life there would have to develop in the dark.

這個(gè)過程使得生命在沒有陽光的幫助下得以發(fā)展,。這很重要，因?yàn)橥列l(wèi)二的冰面高度反光,，把該星球接收到的太陽光送回太空,。那里的任何生命都必須在黑暗中演化。

Scientists believe that potential hydrothermal vents in the subsurface ocean on Enceladus might work similarly to those on Earth.

科學(xué)家們認(rèn)為,，在冰層下的海水里的潛在熱液噴口,，而土衛(wèi)二可能類似于地球上初期的環(huán)境。

"If the conditions are right, these molecules coming from the deep ocean of Enceladus could be on the same reaction pathway as we see here on Earth," Nozair Khawaja, who led the research team behind the latest discovery, said in a release. "We don't yet know if amino acids are needed for life beyond Earth, but finding the molecules that form amino acids is an important piece of the puzzle."

“如果這些條件是吻合的,，這些分子來自于恩克拉多斯的深海,，我們可以在地球上看到同樣的反應(yīng)過程，”領(lǐng)導(dǎo)這項(xiàng)最新發(fā)現(xiàn)的研究小組的卡瓦賈教授在一次發(fā)布會(huì)中說,。我們還不知道地球以外的生命是否需要氨基酸,，但尋找到了形成氨基酸的分子是解開謎題的一個(gè)重要部分。

Last year, the team discovered similar organic molecules from the same data. But the molecules were not water-soluble; the researchers believe that they sat on the surface of the Enceladus ocean.

去年,，研究小組從相同的數(shù)據(jù)中發(fā)現(xiàn)了類似的有機(jī)分子,。但是這些分子不是水溶性的，研究人員認(rèn)為它們是在土衛(wèi)二海洋的表面,。而今,，水溶性氨基酸素材從海底噴出被發(fā)現(xiàn)……

Such compounds would need to dissolve into ocean water in order to interact with hydrothermal vents and produce life. Until now, scientists weren't sure if organic compounds on Enceladus did that.

這些化合物需要溶解到海水中，以便與熱液通風(fēng)口相互作用并產(chǎn)生生命。直到現(xiàn)在,，科學(xué)家們還不確定土衛(wèi)二上的有機(jī)化合物是否做到了這一點(diǎn),。

"Here we are finding smaller and soluble organic building blocks – potential precursors for amino acids and other ingredients required for life on Earth," Jon Hillier, another co-author of the study, said in the release.

該研究的另一位合著者喬·希利爾在其論文《釋放》中說：“在這里我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了更小的和可溶的有機(jī)分子——氨基酸和其他地球生命的所需成分的潛在素材?！?br>

卡西尼計(jì)劃還展示了什么

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The data scientists used to arrive at both of these findings came from NASA's Cassini mission. The probe launched in 1997 and spent 13 years exploring Saturn and its moons.

科學(xué)家們用來得出這兩個(gè)發(fā)現(xiàn)的數(shù)據(jù),，來自美國宇航局的卡西尼號(hào)任務(wù)。探測器于1997啟動(dòng),，花了13年時(shí)間探索土星及其衛(wèi)星,。

In September 2017, the mission ended when scientists intentionally sent the spacecraft plummeting into Saturn. They did this to avoid contaminating Enceladus or Titan, another nearby moon that could also harbour life, with Earthly microbes.

2017年9月，當(dāng)科學(xué)家有意將飛船墜落土星時(shí),，任務(wù)結(jié)束了,。他們這樣做是為了避免污染土衛(wèi)二或泰坦星，然而他們發(fā)現(xiàn)另一個(gè)附近的星球,，它居然也能庇護(hù)生命,，具有地球上的微生物。

Cassini discovered that Enceladus conceals a global ocean of liquid saltwater below its surface, and photographed jets of that water shooting into space. The probe flew through those plumes and collected data about their composition in 2008.

卡西尼發(fā)現(xiàn),，二號(hào)衛(wèi)星恩克拉多斯在其結(jié)冰的表面下,，隱藏了一個(gè)液態(tài)水的全球海洋，并且它拍攝了射入太空的羽泉,。探測器穿過這些羽狀物,，收集了自2008年以來它們的成分?jǐn)?shù)據(jù)。

Scientists plan to continue studying that and other data collected by Cassini for decades to come.

科學(xué)家們計(jì)劃在未來幾十年里繼續(xù)研究卡西尼號(hào)收集的數(shù)據(jù),。

NASA also plans to send a probe to Saturn's moon Titan, which is another a prime target in the search for alien life because of its own abundant organic compounds. That mission is set to launch a nuclear-powered helicopter called Dragonfly toward Titan in 2026.

美國宇航局還計(jì)劃向土星的最大衛(wèi)星泰坦星發(fā)射一個(gè)探測器,，泰坦是尋找外星生命的另一個(gè)主要目標(biāo)，因?yàn)樗旧砗胸S富的有機(jī)化合物,。該任務(wù)將于2026發(fā)射一艘名為“蜻蜓”的核動(dòng)力飛船,。

The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Titan in 2034, then start hunting for signs of life.

這艘新的太空船預(yù)計(jì)2034年抵達(dá)泰坦，然后開始尋找生命的跡象,。

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