Europa is the best place in the solar system to find Earth-like life, scientists say, page
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Topic started on 2-2-2010 @ 10:40 PM by OnceReturned
Richard Greenberg of the University of Arizona proposes that the best place for us to find complex life in the solar system(other than earth, obviously) is Europa.


New research suggests that there is enough oxygen available in the subsurface ocean of Europa to support oxygen-based metabolic processes for life similar to that on Earth. In fact, there may be enough oxygen to support complex, animal-like organisms with greater oxygen demands than microorganisms.


Full Article

We believe that there is plenty of liquid water, a subtantial amount of thermal energy from hydrothermal vents as well as energy from the friction and strain in the surface crust caused by gravitational tidal forces, and now it may turn out that there is enough oxygen to support complex life. The organisms that made up the base of a food chain on Europa would not be photosynthetic, but would instead employ exotic metabolic processes(known to exist on earth) based on sulfur or the production of methane, from the hydrothermal vents(which would also supply heat, which is thought to be necessary). These sulfer and methane basd metabolic processes however, are only sufficient to sustain simple microorganisms if they are earthlike. The new findings suggest that oxygen levels may be high enough to support more complex life.

This is interesting because it is testable. We can go there and see, and hopefully we will.


reply posted on 2-2-2010 @ 11:18 PM by OnceReturned
reply to post by defcon5


Thanks, I love all of Attenborough's stuff. I know that the abundance of life at deep ocean hydrothermal vents on earth is a relatively new discovery, and one which suprised many scientists. It offers strong support for the idea that life will arise literally everywhere that it possibly can. I also know that this life is not very well understood and has not been fully studied - there is some wierd stuff though. The life in the deep oceans of earth is alien enough, I cannot image what is lurking at the bottom of true alien oceans.

reply to post by Chonx


Thank you, I agree. Finding life anywhere else at all will be a great day, because when we find it, it will automatically confirm our idea that the universe is literally teaming with life. It will really renew the public interest in exploratory science, and hopefully help define a new kind of world. I can image few realistic scenarios with such global psychological transformative power. It is a terrible shame that we are not more fiscally anxious to usher this sort of thing in.
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