In recent years the search for life beyond our planet has focused on finding places with conditions that are ‘ Earth-like ’ , so as to emulate our own planet , which we know can support life . However , scientists have now proposed that some worlds might be able to host life ‘ not as we know it ’ that thrives not on water , but on other chemicals . Specifically , they looked at Saturn ’ s moon Titan , which has seas of liquid methane rather than water , and they it could harbour methane-based , oxygen-free forms of life . Cornell University scientists in New York have proposed a new type of life . Called an azotosome , it would survive on liquid methane rather than water - so it could live on Titan . Shown is an illustration of a nine-nanometre azotosome , the size of a virus , with a piece of the membrane cut away to show the hollow interior . The fascinating research by scientists at Cornell University in New York suggests that life in the universe may be abundant in more places than thought . The life they propose , called an azotosome , would be composed of small organic nitrogen compounds and be capable of functioning in liquid methane temperatures of -180°C ( -292°F ) . No life on Earth is known to be able to survive in similar conditions . ‘ Ours is the first concrete blueprint of life not as we know it , ’ said graduate student James Stevenson , first author of the research . Life on our planet relies on a permeable water-based exterior - a vesicle or liposome - that houses the organic matter of every cell . As no life on Earth can survive without water , astronomers have been looking for alien life in habitable zones of stars where liquid water can exist - it is not too hot , and not too cold . But if cells could be based on methane , rather than water , they could survive in much colder climates , as methane has a much lower melting point . A study in November 2014 argued that alien species could exist on planets that contain an exotic substance known as 'supercritical ' carbon dioxide , rather than water . This type of CO2 is created when liquids and gases reach their temperature and pressure thresholds , creating a supercritical fluid that has features of both a liquid and gas . Carbon dioxide becomes supercritical when its temperature exceeds 305 degrees Kelvin ( 32°C ) and its pressure goes beyond 72.9 the standard atmosphere at sea level . On Earth , it 's increasingly used in application such as dry cleaning or to sterilise medical equipment , but astrobiologists at Washington State University believe it could also be capable of sustaining life . Study co-author Professor Schulze-Makuch and his team compared enzymes in carbon dioxide and in water , and found that they were more stable in supercritical CO2 . The life proposed by the scientists would be composed of small organic nitrogen compounds and be capable of functioning in liquid methane temperatures of -180°C ( -292°F ) . This means it could survive on the surface of Titan ( illustration shown ) , meaning more worlds might be habitable than we thought . The theoretical azotosome life form is made from nitrogen , carbon and hydrogen molecules - all of which are known to exist in the cryogenic seas of Titan . However , it shows the same stability and flexibility as comparable life on Earth . And interestingly , to create the structures , the scientists also envision the cells could use a compound called acrylonitrile , which is a strong barrier to decomposition . Acrylonitrile is a colourless , poisonous , liquid organic compound use in the manufacture of acrylic fibres and thermoplastics on Earth - and it is also present in Titan ’ s atmosphere . Chemical Engineer Dr Paulette Clancy said the the next step is to try and demonstrate how these cells would behave in the methane environment . This includes how they might reproduce and metabolise with their oxygen-free , methane-based cells . From left to right are graduate student James Stevenson , astronomer Jonathan Lunine and chemical engineer Paulette Clancy , with a Cassini image of Titan in the foreground of Saturn , and an azotosome , the theorized cell membrane on Titan , shown on the right .
Saturn scientists in New York have proposed a new type of life . Called an azotosome it would survive on liquid methane rather than water . This means it could live on the surface of Cornell University 's moon Titan . And it may also mean more places are habitable than we thought . It 's the first proof for 'life not as we know it , ’ said student James Stevenson .