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from the are-they-labeled-as-organic? dept.
Scientists using imagery from the Dawn spacecraft have found evidence of organic material on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres:
NASA's Dawn mission has found evidence for organic material on Ceres, a dwarf planet and the largest body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists using the spacecraft's visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR) detected the material in and around a northern-hemisphere crater called Ernutet. Organic molecules are interesting to scientists because they are necessary, though not sufficient, components of life on Earth.
[...] "This is the first clear detection of organic molecules from orbit on a main belt body," said Maria Cristina De Sanctis, lead author of the study, based at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Rome. The discovery is reported in the journal Science. Data presented in the Science paper support the idea that the organic materials are native to Ceres. The carbonates and clays previously identified on Ceres provide evidence for chemical activity in the presence of water and heat. This raises the possibility that the organics were similarly processed in a warm water-rich environment.
[...] Having completed nearly two years of observations in orbit at Ceres, Dawn is now in a highly elliptical orbit at Ceres, going from an altitude of 4,670 miles (7,520 kilometers) up to almost 5,810 miles (9,350 kilometers). On Feb. 23, it will make its way to a new altitude of around 12,400 miles (20,000 kilometers), about the height of GPS satellites above Earth, and to a different orbital plane. This will put Dawn in a position to study Ceres in a new geometry. In late spring, Dawn will view Ceres with the sun directly behind the spacecraft, such that Ceres will appear brighter than before, and perhaps reveal more clues about its nature.
Localized aliphatic organic material on the surface of Ceres (DOI: 10.1126/science.aaj2305) (DX)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by anubi on Saturday February 18 2017, @08:47AM
I would be surprised if they did not find organic compounds...., [wikipedia.org]
The proof is in the pudding... if it has any DNA or similar, I suppose.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2017, @04:33PM
Ugh. I was about to complain about The proof is in the pudding [wiktionary.org] being wrong. The just-provided link shows it is in common usage in the USA starting in 1920s and gaining popularity in the 1950s. I did some additional searching and found its earlier (and to my eye, more meaningful) phrasing: The proof of the pudding is in the eating [wiktionary.org]
THAT phrasing suggests: the pudding may look delicious, but one can never tell until one eats/tastes it.
Nothing against you, personally, but is a pet peeve of mine and just had to get that off my mind. Thanks, I feel better now. =)
You may now return to your regularly-scheduled discussion.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Sunday February 19 2017, @08:30AM
I was only trying to inject a little bit of humor by a bad pun. In which case, by "pudding", I meant any organic goo [scientificamerican.com] that might be building up over eons of accretion of denser organic molecules.
I know that isn't the true intent of the phrase, but I thought it close enough.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]