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<\/p>\nUsing data from NASA\u2019s now-retired Dawn spacecraft, scientists have found that Ceres, a dwarf planet and the largest object in the asteroid belt, may have once had a lasting source of chemical energy. The Dawn data revealed evidence of molecules needed to fuel microbial metabolisms on Ceres.<\/p>\n
While the finding doesn\u2019t confirm that microorganisms existed on Ceres long ago, it does support theories that the dwarf planet may have once been capable of supporting single-celled lifeforms.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Examining pictures of Ceres, areas of bright, reflective material can be seen on the dwarf planet\u2019s cratered surface. Dawn previously revealed that these regions are comprised of salts left by liquid that percolated up to the surface from an underground brine reservoir. Other research from Dawn revealed evidence of organic material, specifically carbon molecules, on Ceres, which are required to support the existence of microbial cells.<\/p>\n
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Artist\u2019s depiction of the interior of Ceres. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/p>\n
Evaluating a planet\u2019s habitability is a complex process, especially on a cold and dormant planet like Ceres; however, the existence of water and carbon molecules is crucial for the potential existence of life. Another critical component of habitability is a source of \u201cfood,\u201d and the new findings show that a continuous source of chemical energy may have existed in Ceres\u2019 ancient past.<\/p>\n
In the new study, led by Samuel Courville of Arizona State University and NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, thermal and chemical models were developed to simulate the temperature and interior composition of Ceres over extended periods. The team found that, around 2.5 billion years ago, a steady stream of hot water in a subsurface ocean would have transported dissolved gases up from metamorphosed rocks in the dwarf planet\u2019s rocky core. The stream would have been heated from the radioactive decay of elements within Ceres\u2019 young rocky interior. Interestingly, this process is fairly common on other planets in the solar system.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Earth, when hot water from deep underground mixes with the ocean, the result is often a buffet for microbes \u2014 a feast of chemical energy. So it could have big implications if we could determine whether Ceres\u2019 ocean had an influx of hydrothermal fluid in the past,\u201d Courville said.<\/p>\n
While recent studies on Ceres\u2019 habitability have revealed promising results, the dwarf planet is unlikely to be a hospitable place for life today. The dwarf planet is cooler and now features more ice than water. Radioactive decay within Ceres\u2019 interior has slowed, reducing the amount of heat available to water and causing any liquids to become a concentrated brine.<\/p>\n
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One of Dawn\u2019s final images, showing Occator Crater and one of Ceres\u2019 bright, reflective regions. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/p>\n
If Ceres ever hosted life, it would have been approximately 2.5 to 4 billion years ago, when the rocky core reached its maximum temperature. During that time, warm fluids would have filled Ceres\u2019 subsurface water reservoirs, creating environments rich with nutrients and molecules needed for life.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Ceres\u2019 lack of a natural satellite or parent planet means that the dwarf planet can\u2019t benefit from internal heating generated by the gravitational push and pull between two planetary bodies. Thus, scientists believe that Ceres\u2019 greatest chances of habitability are long past.<\/p>\n
Though Ceres is the innermost of the dwarf planets, Courville et al.\u2019s findings apply to many other dwarf planets in the outer reaches of our solar system. Many dwarf planets also lack satellites or parent planets, resulting in a lack of internal heating and a period of habitability that occurred billions of years ago.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n