Europa, a moon of Jupiter, is starting to look like a place we could find living organisms! Image that!
But, we have to go there and look to know for sure.
Hydrothermal vents are places where hot sea water blasts up through the seafloor back into the ocean - like an underwater geyser full of minerals.
If we can find evidence for hydrothermal vents on Europa, maybe we can find life around them too.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says:
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| Europa. Credit: NASA |
At the dark, cold bottom of Earth's oceans we find life around hydrothermal vents.
Hydrothermal vents are places where hot sea water blasts up through the seafloor back into the ocean - like an underwater geyser full of minerals.
If we can find evidence for hydrothermal vents on Europa, maybe we can find life around them too.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says:
With evidence of a global ocean underneath an active, icy crust, Europa has become an increasingly intriguing destination in the search for life beyond Earth. Future NASA missions will explore Europa and other ocean worlds.
Video lecture featuring planetary geologist Cynthia Phillips. Credit: NASA JPL
