A new type of methane-based, oxygen-free life form that can metabolize and reproduce similar to life on Earth has been modeled by a team of Cornell University researchers. ... A planetary body awash with seas not of water, but of liquid methane, Titan could harbor methane-based, oxygen-free cells.

Can there be life on Titan?

Although there is so far no evidence of life on Titan, its complex chemistry and unique environments are certain to make it a destination for continued exploration.

Is methane suitable to support life?

First, it's an efficient solvent for biological chemistry, allowing molecules to move around in cells, and it has properties that are friendly to life — a high heat capacity, the ability to remain in liquid form across a wide temperature range and a molecular density that forces molecules to organize themselves, rather ...