Life In Europa?

Scientists have held for several years that Jupiter's moon Europa has an ocean under its icy surface. If the surface ice is several miles thick, as expected, the ocean beneath could have twice as much water as all of Earth's oceans combined. Liquid water brings up the possibility of life. Liquid water held within an ice shell suggests heat in the interior of the moon. That could result from internal processes, or from friction caused by the constant stress of being under Jupiter's gravitational sway. Heat plus liquid water means the chances for life go up.

Now, according to one study. the Europan ocean may be richer in oxygen than previously thought. Oxygen, scientists believe, is important for the metabolism of life, although it is possible to have life without having free oxygen in the environment. Indeed, oxygen is a poison to some life forms.

Still, a huge ocean protected from outside radiation by miles of ice, maintained in liquid form by some energy source for hundreds of millions of years with, perhaps, enough oxygen to animate something wiggly may be a promising place to look for life beyond Earth.