Biologically Enhanced Energy and Carbon Cycling on Titan

摘要: With the Cassini-Huygens Mission in orbit around Saturn, large moon Titan, with its reducing atmosphere, rich organic chemistry, and heterogeneous surface, moves into astrobiological spotlight. Environmental conditions on Titan Earth were similar many respects 4 billion years ago, approximate time when life originated Earth. Life may have during warmer early history then developed adaptation strategies to cope increasingly cold conditions. If organisms persisted, metabolic could exist that would provide sufficient energy for persist, even today. Metabolic reactions might include catalytic hydrogenation of photochemically produced acetylene, or involve recombination radicals created atmosphere by ultraviolet radiation. activity contribute apparent youth, smoothness, high Titan's surface via biothermal energy. Astrobiology 5, 560–564.