![]() ![]() “It took years analyzing a lot of data, but from my perspective, this is really a bulletproof detection.” "The most surprising thing was how clear and unmistakable the phosphate signatures are in the data," Postberg says. Of 345 ice grains from Saturn's E-ring that Cassini examined between 2004 to 2008, the scientists detected nine grains with phosphates. However, more recent work hinted that phosphates could also be abundant in the oceans. "Phosphates don't like to dissolve in water, so it's in principle harder to find in oceans," Postberg explains.Įarly research suggested phosphates may be trapped within the rocky cores of these worlds. Previous models of Enceladus and other icy ocean worlds were divided on whether these hidden seas possessed significant amounts of phosphates dissolved within them. ![]() "People were really having doubts as to whether or not phosphorus might be the bottleneck for the possibility of the emergence of life," Postberg says. Until now, no one had detected phosphorus from the ice of Enceladus or similar worlds, calling into question whether these places could truly be habitable. This makes Enceladus "the most promising place, the lowest-hanging fruit, in our solar system to search for extraterrestrial life," says Carolyn Porco, a planetary scientist and Cassini's imaging team leader, who did not take part in the new study. ![]() Postberg, the lead author of the new study, and his colleagues previously found that Enceladus’s ocean might also contain complex organic molecules. But the next year they detected plumes of water vapor and icy particles erupting from geysers on the surface, revealing the existence of a global ocean between the moon's icy shell and its rocky core. When the Cassini spacecraft first arrived at Saturn in 2004, scientists expected Enceladus to be a frozen ice ball. The sixth largest of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus is only about 314 miles wide, making it small enough to fit inside the borders of Arizona. Now scientists studying the ice grains measured by Cassini’s Cosmic Dust Analyzer have detected the elusive element phosphorus, detailed in a new study in the journal Nature. Starting in 2004, the Cassini spacecraft flew into dust from the second outermost ring of Saturn, the E ring, which is composed of ice grains ejected from Enceladus. Phosphorus was the only one of these six key building blocks that astronomers had not yet detected in material from Enceladus, although the detection of sulfur is still considered tentative. Image by NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute He then talks about the general Discovery Life claims experience, including how it is designed with clients in mind, and concludes by explaining what goes into developing this experience.A Cassini image of Saturn's moon Enceladus backlit by the sun shows a fountain-like spray of material erupting from the south polar region. Friedlander also highlights Discovery Life’s Cancer Exome Sequencing cover and other benefits targeted at cancer patients. He then goes into more detail on several award-winning world-first innovations from Discovery that are designed to make it easier for advisors and clients to sign up for policies. He also talks about the latest technology trends Discovery Life is seeing in the insurance industry and explains how the company is leveraging this insight to enhance the customer experiences it provides. Friedlander begins by explaining the innovative Discovery Life proactive claims feature and the benefits this offers to clients. In this What’s Next interview, Aki Anastasiou meets with Friedlander to discuss Discovery Life’s various claims benefits. Friedlander started this journey as an Actuarial Analyst, before becoming the Head of Life Technical Marketing in 2010, and then taking up the role of Head of Research and Development at Discovery Life in 2013. He joined the Discovery ecosystem in 2008 and has since held various positions at the company. Gareth Friedlander is the Deputy CEO at Discovery Life - a position he has held since January 2020. ![]()
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