A new study suggests the huge ocean that likely exists inside the thin ice shell that covers Jupiter's moon Europa-- an ocean that could contain much more water than exists on Earth-- might also be rich in oxygen.
On the one hand, that's good news for those searching for extraterrestrial life. Oxygen could power life. On the other hand, however, oxygen is extremely reactive with other elements, which could potentially slow or derail the development of life.
If the existence of abundant oxygen is confirmed, Europa becomes even more attractive as a target for a future mission.
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