NASA's Cassini found potential building blocks of life on Enceladus
Scientists have found complex organic molecules on Saturn's moon Enceladus—basically, some of the building blocks for life.
Using data from NASA and ESA's Cassini spacecraft (which orbited Saturn from 2005 to 2015), researchers discovered that chemical reactions happening in Enceladus's subsurface ocean are closely associated with life on Earth.
ESA considering sending dedicated mission to explore Enceladus
Cassini made this discovery by sampling ice grains shot out from Enceladus's geysers back in 2008.
These grains contained nitrogen and oxygen compounds, which lead researcher Nozair Khawaja says could lead to biologically relevant compounds.
Now, the European Space Agency is even considering sending a dedicated mission to explore Enceladus further—making it one of the top spots in our solar system to look for signs of alien life.