Beijing-Sana
An international team of scientists has suggested that the ocean under the ice on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, may be rich in phosphorous, the element necessary for life.
And the Chinese news agency (Xinhua) indicated that the results of the study conducted by the international team of scientists, headed by the Chinese scientist Hao Zhighua, a researcher at the China University of Science and Technology, concluded that the ocean on Saturn's moon may be rich in phosphorous.
Scientists had previously believed that Enceladus was unsuitable for life, due to a lack of phosphorous, an indispensable component of bones, cell membranes and the DNA of living organisms.
During the study, the researchers designed a model of the interaction between the rocks and the ocean water under the ice layer.
"The ocean water on the moon has been shown to be highly alkaline and devoid of oxygen, reminiscent of the carbonated water people drink on Earth," says Hao Zhighua.
According to him, it takes more than 100,000 years for the phosphorous present in the rocks of Enceladus to dissolve in these waters, as Enceladus is believed to have existed for more than 100 million years.
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