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First Organic Molecules Found on Alien World

Posted by Zonk on from the did-it-have-to-be-so-smelly dept.

Galactic_grub writes "The detection of planet HD 189733b is in some ways just another small victory for extra-solar planetary science. It is too hot for there to be anything 'alive'. Just the same, somewhere on the planet are trace amounts of the gas methane. The fact that the element was detected at all offers hope for understanding future discoveries of Earth-like worlds, says NewScientistSpace. Researchers from Caltech and University College London used the Hubble Space Telescope to peer at the planet and examined spectral signature of starlight filtered by the planet's atmosphere, to identify different chemicals. 'The authors suggest that some ill-understood chemical process might be responsible, either concentrating the methane in cooler parts of the atmosphere, or generating extra methane directly. Alternatively, the methane might simply mean that the planet happens to be very rich in carbon.'"

7 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Yet another step closer to my goal by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    One day I'm gonna bang me a green chick.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Yet another step closer to my goal by radarsat1 · · Score: 5, Funny

      With that kind of mouth, it'll certainly happen before "you bang you" an earth girl.

  2. Methane is not an element by I'm+a+banana · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The fact that the element was detected at all
  3. Test of Faith by Psiren · · Score: 5, Funny

    Meh, I'm positive that the FSM put it there, to test our faith in his noodly appendages. Life on another planet?! Preposterous!

  4. Please... by Joseph1337 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please no more overlords, my back fucking hurts from the whip with those we got now...

  5. Re:Unfortunately, not a smoking gun... by Metasquares · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Would such life depend on water? Well, not liquid water. It wouldn't be made up of combustable carbon chains, either.

    Slightly tangential, but I never did understand why we primarily evaluated the life supporting capability of a planet based on whether water could be present. We might know tons about terrestrial life, but we know nothing about how life could begin in a different environment. Our earth-centric assumptions may not hold, even though the same laws of chemistry and physics do.

  6. Re:Misleading headline by Alioth · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes it does. Methane is an organic molecule. If you find methane, you've found an organic molecule. Organic chemistry is not necessarily produced by life forms.

    That group of compounds (things like methane, ethane, propane, butane etc.) are all part of organic chemistry, and whether you find them with or without life they are still organic chemistry.

    --
    Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows