NASA finds key ingredient for life gushing out of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus

An illustration of NASA's Cassini orbiter soaring through a giant vapor jet over the moon Enceladus.

Saturn's moon Enceladus has a secret lurking beneath its icy outer crust. In the plumes of vapor jetting from its surface, scientists have detected a molecule that might be a precursor for life: hydrogen cyanide.

On Earth, hydrogen cyanide is toxic to most organisms. But scientists believe it played an important role in the early origin of life, potentially serving as a precursor molecule in the evolution of amino acids — the building blocks of proteins required for life.