How our vision of Europa’s habitability is changing
How our vision of Europa’s habitability is changing
The moon of Jupiter is considered one of the most promising places to look for life, but its subsurface ocean may be less habitable than once thought.
AI: Currently, Europa, one of three worlds in our solar system, is thought to have three ingredients for habitability: liquid water, energy, and the chemical building blocks for life. However, it is unclear whether the Moon's ice-covered sea could support life. Some researchers believe that the geological activity of the Moon's seafloor and its ability to support life may be at the heart of the Moon's habitability problem. Computer simulations of Europa's seafloor were carried out, but the results showed that modern seafloor volcanism was unlikely, making Europa's ocean uninhabitable. Although Europe is uninhabitable today, this does not mean that it was not habitable in the past. NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which launched in October, may confirm the existence of an ocean on Europa, although it will not be able to resolve the controversy surrounding seafloor activity.