NASA experts have confirmed the existence of vinyl cyanide in Titan's atmosphere, a compound that may be a component of cell membranes in microorganisms, possibly living in the methane oceans of Saturn's moon. Briefly about the results of the study, published in the journal Science Advances, reports Express.
Cell membranes in terrestrial organisms contain phospholipids - molecules consisting of a polar (water-soluble) "head" containing a phosphorus atom, and two non-polar tails of fatty acid residues. This structure contributes to the formation of an elastic membrane in cells. However, in hypothetical microorganisms, whose vital activity is based on methane, and not on water, the membrane should be composed of other compounds, such as vinyl cyanide.
Scientists have found traces of vinyl cyanide in Titan's atmosphere at an altitude of 200 kilometers using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array radio telescope complex (Chile). In this case, the highest concentration of the molecule reached in the regions above the satellite's south pole. At low temperatures (minus 179 degrees Celsius), typical for Titan, vinyl cyanide should concentrate in droplets and fall on methane lakes.
Modeling showed that in the Ligeia Sea in the northern hemisphere of Titan, vinyl cyanide should be sufficient to form 10,000 cells per cubic centimeter. This is 10 times more microorganisms than bacteria in the coastal regions of the earth's oceans.