Missing chemicals on Titan could signal life

Methane-based organisms might be consuming the materials

Two new studies about the chemical makeup of Titan, Saturn’s hydrocarbon-shrouded moon, raise the possibility that methane-based bacteria might exist on its surface, munching on acetylene and hydrogen.

HYDROCARBON LAKE A smooth lake of hydrocarbons lies on the surface of Titan, Saturn’s smog-shrouded moon, in this artist’s illustration.