First organic molecule discovered outside of Earth

[SUBMAN1]

http://www.asd-network.com/press_detail_B.asp?ID=15534

-S

[TDK1044]

Ducimus modded it. It's part of TMO now.

[DeepIron]

Under the right circumstances, methane can play a key role in prebiotic chemistry - the chemical reactions considered necessary to form life as we know it.

I'm glad they added this reality check:

Tinetti is however quick to rule out any biological origin of the methane found on HD 189733b. "The planet's atmosphere is far too hot for even the hardiest life to survive - at least the kind of life we know from Earth. It's highly unlikely that cows could survive here!"

As an aside, the book, "The Privileged Planet" by Gonzalez and Richards, (ISBN 978-0-89526-9) is a facinating read and discusses how unique and rare the Earth is for harboring life in the Universe.

[Brag]

Not so long ago, the existence of extra-solar planets was pure speculation,

[Blacklight]

I'm still waiting for them to dig up the monolith on the moon and to discover the giant black rectangular object orbiting around Jupiter !

[3Jane]

Saturn

[DeepIron]

Originally Posted by 3Jane

Saturn

Assuming you're debating Blacklight... The third monolith (after the Earth and Moon monoliths) was in orbit around Jupiter.

[The WosMan]

This article is inaccurate. Dense liquid methane and clouds of ethane exist on Saturn's largest moon Titan.

Titan is primarily composed of water ice and rocky material. The dense atmosphere prevented understanding of Titan's surface until new information accumulated with the arrival of the Cassini–Huygens mission in 2004, including the discovery of liquid hydrocarbon lakes in the satellite's polar regions. These are the only large, stable bodies of surface liquid known to exist anywhere other than Earth. The surface is geologically young; although mountains and several possible cryovolcanoes have been discovered, it is relatively smooth and few impact craters have been discovered.
The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen and its climate includes methane and ethane clouds. The climate—including wind and rain—creates surface features that are similar to those on Earth, such as sand dunes and shorelines, and, like Earth, is dominated by seasonal weather patterns. With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan is viewed as analogous to the early Earth, although at a much lower temperature

[DeepIron]

This article is inaccurate. Dense liquid methane and clouds of ethane exist on Saturn's largest moon Titan.

Ummm, the article refers to finding methane on an "extrasolar planet"... (outside of our solar system) ...

[GlobalExplorer]

Yep only that way it makes sense. Organic molecules were already found in comets too. Nothing spectacular. Everyone knew it was out there, just someone needed to prove it .. One thing I hope for however: I want to live until we are able to analyze the exact athmosphere composition of nearby terrestric planets.

[TteFAboB]

In other words: don't ditch funding for the Hubble just yet.

How many more astounding discoveries are they keeping secret for the next time funding is threatened?