The search for life on Jupiter's icy moon Europa just got more complicated
New computer simulations suggest that liquid water from Europa's deep ocean is unlikely to reach the surface through the moon's icy shell. This finding complicates the search for life, as any shallow water detected by future missions may be locally melted ice rather than ocean-sourced water.
Why it matters
This research shifts the strategy for astrobiology missions, as it suggests that sampling the deep ocean may be significantly more difficult than previously hoped.
Europa has captivated scientists for decades because a vast ocean of liquid water may be concealed beneath its frozen surface.
That buried sea has made Jupiter's icy moon one of the most promising places in the solar system to investigate whether conditions suitable for life might exist beyond Earth. However, new research led by Rutgers scientist Lujendra Ojha indicates that reaching material from Europa's deep ocean may be much more difficult than previously believed.
Testing a Possible Route Through Europa's Ice
In a study published in Nature Astronomy , Ojha and his colleagues used computer simulations to examine whether water from Europa's global ocean could travel upward through fractures in the ice and accumulate in shallow underground reservoirs. If such pockets exist, future spacecraft could potentially detect or sample them more easily than the ocean far below.
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